The Unexpected Future
by potatogalore
Summary: Sequel to 'Just Like The Sky'. 7 years later, Giotto has finally agreed to officially announce Tsuna as the next boss of the famous Vongola. Just as things are starting to look good, something terrible happens. Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU! HELLO THERE! This is the sequel to 'Just Like The Sky'. For starters, I would like to thank all of you who read my previous story and reviewed. I just hope the sequel will live up to your expectations. Darn it, this is making me worried. Well, enough blabbering, here's Chapter 1! Hope all of you will enjoy it!**

**(P.S To all of the readers who I sent an email regarding the kid's ages, I'm so sorry to say this but I kinda changed around. Sorry for the inconvenience. Hehe.)**

The Unexpected Future

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Tragic Future

Way before Sawada Tsunayoshi met Giotto of the Vongola who eventually took him in, he was still living in the streets with his siblings which included Gokudera Hayato, Yamamoto Takeshi, Hibari Kyoya, Sasagawa Ryohei, Lambo and the twins, Mukuro and Chrome. As orphans, life wasn't easy. Food and shelter was usually hard to find and since Kyoya was Kyoya, he always attracted thugs of all kinds to Tsuna and his siblings, which meant all of them had to fight. To top it all, all of them were cursed with an Arcobaleno pacifier.

abandoned building. All of their siblings had all run off to search for food and it was Tsuna's job to take care of the cow child. "TSUNA! LAMBO IS HUNGRYYY!" screamed 3 year old Lambo as he tugged Tsuna's shirt. Tsuna sighed. His stomach growled. "I'm sorry, Lambo but please wait. Kyoya-nii and the rest have gone to find some food. Please be patient!" pleaded 4 year old Tsuna. He picked Lambo up and smiled at him. Lambo sniffled but shook his head. Tsuna was the only person who could calm Lambo down.

"TSUNA!" yelled a familiar voice. Tsuna and Lambo looked at a young boy with silver hair running to them. He waved cheerfully at Tsuna before coming to a halt. Tsuna grinned at his brother. "Hayato-nii! How was the town?" asked Tsuna, his chocolate eyes wide with excitement. 5 year old Hayato grinned and was about to open his mouth when Lambo jumped on him. "OI STUPID HAYATO! WHERE'S LAMBO'S FOOD!" screamed Lambo. He jumped on Hayato and pulled his hair. Hayato growled.

"THAT HURTS YOU STUPID COW!" yelled Hayato. He grabbed Lambo and whacked him on the head. Of course, this made Lambo cry. "H-Hayato-nii! Please calm down!" said Tsuna with a sigh. This was getting too normal. Hayato tched but stood his ground. Lambo sniffled. "G-Gotta…b-be…c-calm…gulped Lambo. He screamed. "LAMBO CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" cried Lambo as he pulled out his bazooka. Just as he was about to set the bazooka down, he tripped and the bazooka went flying. It was headed straight for Tsuna.

In a pink poof of smoke, Sawada Tsunayoshi disappeared and in his place, no one stood. "Tsuna? TSUNA?" yelled Hayato in panic. He looked around. Lambo was still crying. Hayato growled and grabbed his hair. "Oi you stupid cow! Where did Tsuna go?" asked Hayato, his eyes boring straight into Lambo's. Lambo gulped and shook his head nervously. "L-Lambo-san d-doesn't know! WAHHHH!" screamed Lambo as a waterfall of tears flowed out of his eyes. Hayato growled and sat Lambo down not too gently. He looked around. Where was Tsuna?

**FIVE MINUTES LATER**

"WATCH OUT! MY BROTHER'S THERE YOU IDIOT!" yelled Mukuro as he ran to the road and picked Tsuna's unconscious body up. The driver honked at him. Mukuro growled. Kyoya whipped out his tonfa's and glared at the driver. "Those who are noisy will be bitten to death!" growled Kyoya, his cold eyes boring into the driver's. The driver gulped and sped away. Kyoya tched and kept his weapons. He turned to Mukuro. Mukuro had already put Tsuna down and he and Chrome were looking at him worriedly.

Tsuna opened his eyes slowly. His siblings sighed in relief. Tsuna sat up and scratched his head. What was that he had just seen? He looked at his palm. There was an outline of a ring there. Tsuna gulped and bit his lip. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, what were you doing, lying in the middle of the road?" asked Kyoya, his voice cold. "A line of cars were yelling at you to move. If it wasn't for pineapple head here, you would have been run over," continued Kyoya. Tsuna grinned sheepishly.

"I-I'm sorry, Kyoya-nii. Thank you for saving me, Mukuro-nii," muttered Tsuna. Kyoya and Mukuro arched their eyebrows. Something was bothering Tsuna. Both of them were about to open their mouths when Takeshi came running to the scene, his face as idiotic as ever. Ryohei, Hayato and Lambo were running behind him. Apparently, they were chased by a bunch of thugs. "RUNN! HERE THEY COME!" yelled Takeshi as he sped off. "You led them here, didn't you?" growled Kyoya and Mukuro at each other. Both of them glared accusingly at each other. Tsuna chuckled and grabbed their arms. Chrome followed closely behind.

Tsuna bit his lip as he ran. What he saw just now was disturbing. He gulped and shrugged off what he just saw. A few minutes later, he had completely forgotten his 5 minute adventure.

10 years later, what he saw proved to be very helpful to him.

**10 YEARS LATER (7 years later if referred from the previous story)**

"HAYATO! FOR THE LAST 100000 TIME! NO DYNAMITES IN THE HOUSE YOU BRAT!" yelled a man with red hair and a tattoo on his face. He tapped his foot impatiently and glared at his 14 year old son who looked exactly like him except for the fact that he had silver colored hair instead of red. Gokudera Hayato glared back at his father. "SHUT UP OLD MAN! THOSE WEREN'T DYNAMITES! THOSE WERE FIRECRACKERS!" yelled Hayato. A vein twitched in G's temple. "FIRECRACKERS? OH REALLY? THEN PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHY IT SAYS SO CLEARLY HERE 'DYNAMITE'?" yelled G. Hayato took a step back and stuck out his tongue. A few seconds later, he was running off. "HAYATO! GET BACK HERE!" yelled G as he too started giving chase.

"Hahaha! Uncle G, Hayato! You look like you're having fun this morning!" laughed 14 year old Takeshi cheerfully. Asari joined his son and laughed. "IDIOT! DO I LOOK LIKE I'M HAVING FUN?" yelled Hayato as he ran past both of them with G still chasing him, this time, armed with what looked like a stick. Takeshi and Asari waved cheerfully as both Hayato and G ran out of the room, breaking the door in the process. "Some things never change!" said Takeshi cheerfully. "Come on, Takeshi! It's time for your sword training!" said Asari, his face filled with excitement. Takeshi nodded.

"Nufufu…I thought I heard those two idiots here a few minutes ago…" mused Daemon Spade as he appeared suddenly with his two kids. Asari grinned. "They just ran out of the room a few minutes ago!" said Asari. Daemon sighed. "Kufufu…idiots," chuckled 16 year old Mukuro eerily. Behind him, Chrome smiled at Asari and Takeshi. Daemon smiled proudly. "You've both grown so much! I feel so proud! Though I miss the days when both of you were still so small and I could carry the both of you…" sniffled Daemon. Chrome giggled and patted her father. Mukuro grinned in amusement.

"GUARHHH! EXTREME RUNNING-IN-THE-HOUSE!" roared Ryohei and Knuckle together. Both of them barged into the living room. Daemon sighed. "MY NEPHEW! OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS, YOU'VE BECOME EVEN MORE EXTREME!" yelled Knuckle proudly. 15 year old Ryohei nodded in excitement. "OF COURSE, UNCLE! MEN BECOME MORE EXTREME WHEN THEY GROW UP! TAKE UNCLE G AND HAYATO FOR EXAMPLE! LET'S JOIN THEM AND PLAY TAG!" roared Ryohei. Knuckle nodded excitedly and soon, both father and son were out of the room, Ryohei chasing Knuckle like a small boy. Everyone in the room sweat dropped.

"Those who make a loud disturbance will be bitten to death!" snarled 16 year old Kyoya menacingly as he and Alaude walked pass Knuckle and Ryohei. Alaude patted Kyoya's shoulder. "Kyoya, please. Don't bite them to death. Arrest them instead," growled Alaude as he glared coldly at the two Sun holders. "Kufufu…good morning, Kyoya…" grinned Mukuro eerily. Kyoya snarled and whipped out his tonfa's. Mukuro grinned darkly and pulled out his trident. Both Alaude and Daemon stepped back to the wall and folded their arms. Chrome watched her brother and Kyoya worriedly. Asari and Takeshi quickly walked out of the room.

"Nufufu…my Mukuro is going to kill your boy…" grinned Daemon sadistically. Alaude looked coldly at the two boys and yawned. "I disagree. Kyoya will be the one victorious," replied Alaude coldly. Both men glared at each other. "Get ready, herbivore…" growled Kyoya. "Kufufu…how much have you grown, Kyoya?" asked Mukuro tauntingly. Kyoya smiled coldly and charged forward. Both weapons clashed with one another.

"I think it'll be a better idea if we stood outside, Lambo," said Lampo wisely. Lambo nodded. "Yare, yare…Uncle Giotto isn't going to be happy about this…" muttered 12 year old Lambo. Lampo sighed and nodded. "Oh well, let's go back to bed," yawned Lampo lazily. He stretched his arms and walked up the stairs. Lambo followed. The butler sighed. Like father, like son. He looked into the living room and sighed again. The last time something like this happened, the living room had to be under repair for a month. Giotto wasn't very pleased.

"Kyoya, kill that idiot off," said Alaude coldly. "Mukuro, twist his intestines into a knot," said Daemon darkly. "Both of you stop…" muttered Chrome quietly, her voice drowned out from the clashing and the clanging of weapons. Both boys nodded and went in for the final kill. Alaude and Daemon watched with held breaths. Chrome closed her eyes and covered her ears.

"Kyoya-nii! Mukuro-nii! Please stop!" said a boy worriedly. Both boys looked at the doorway and sighed. 14 year old Tsuna was looking worriedly at Mukuro and Kyoya. Giotto was standing behind him, sighing. Alaude and Daemon sighed in disappointment. They had wanted to see who would win. Giotto on the other hand, didn't. He glared at Daemon and Alaude. Alaude looked back coldly at him. "Come Kyoya. Let's go," said Alaude. Kyoya nodded and walked out with his father. Daemon looked at his shoe as though that was the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you hurt, Mukuro-nii?" asked Tsuna worriedly. Mukuro smiled and shook his head. "Kufufu…it'll take more than that idiot to put a scratch on me…" replied Mukuro proudly. "Good morning, Tsuna…" muttered Chrome shyly. Tsuna grinned and greeted her back.

"Daemon. One more fight in the living room and I'll make you sign all my paperwork…" growled Giotto. Daemon grinned eerily. "Nufufu…Of course, Primo. Now, I think, we have a more important thing to discuss, don't we?" said Daemon. He was trying to change topics before Giotto started a long lecture. Giotto arched on eyebrow and looked at his Mist Guardian before nodding. "I'll talk about it later," whispered Giotto seriously. Daemon nodded. Tsuna looked at his siblings and grinned. "Come on! Let's go eat! I'm hungry!" said Tsuna cheerfully. He grabbed Mukuro and Chrome's hand and ran out of the room. "See you there, Papa!" called Tsuna as he slammed the door shut. Giotto smiled.

Giotto could not believe how fast time flew. Even thought Tsuna still looked the same, he was now taller than before. To be truthful, Giotto still missed the times when he could pick Tsuna up and carry him around. Tsuna had also become more powerful compared to 7 years ago. He was now good at combat skills. The only thing that hadn't changed was the fact that Tsuna was still as cheerful as he was 7 years ago. His siblings still doted on him. He also was still doing terribly in school with Takeshi, something Giotto didn't really worry much about (for some reason).

It wasn't just Tsuna that had changed in the past 7 years. As the other kids grew up, they started resembling their father's more and more. Hayato now had the same scowl that G wore every day. He was as quick tempered as he was before and still followed Tsuna around like a little puppy. He was still good at using dynamites and had even come up with some techniques of his own. Takeshi was as idiotic as he was 7 years ago. He still laughed cheerfully with his siblings but when it came to his sword training, he would always train seriously. Giotto had to admit, Takeshi was a master at handling the sword.

Kyoya was as cold as ever. He had grown taller, even colder and his fighting abilities were even better than they were 7 years ago, thanks to Alaude. Even so, he still cared a lot of Tsuna just like how he did 7 years ago. Mukuro was now looking more and more like Daemon. The only thing that made them look different from one another was the kanji written on Mukuro's eye. Chrome had grown taller and she was more courageous compared to before. Even so, she still did hide behind her father and her brother occasionally. Both siblings were now masters of illusions, thanks to Daemon.

Ryohei was keeping his dream alive. Knuckle taught him a lot of boxing moves in the past 7 years and Ryohei had taken part in numerous competitions, most of them ending with the opponent in the emergency room. As far as Giotto could remember, they had never missed a match before. Lambo was now an exact replica of Lampo. If it wasn't for the fact that Lampo had green hair, no one could tell them apart. Lambo was still as lazy and spoilt as he was 7 years ago, thanks to Lampo.

Giotto smiled and walked out of the room. "Call everyone to the dining room. It's time to announce it," said Giotto to the butler. The butler nodded and walked away. A few minutes, everyone gathered in the dining room. G and Hayato were glaring at each other. Takeshi and Asari were eating their food politely. Knuckle and Ryohei on the other hand, were competing with another. Kyoya and Alaude sat as far as they could from the rest and ate quietly. Daemon was still doting on his kids like he did 7 years ago. Lambo and Lampo were sleeping on the table. Tsuna smiled at his family and ate. Giotto looked at G and nodded. G did the same thing. Giotto looked at Tsuna who was now chatting animatedly with Hayato.

"Tsuna, as you know, your birthday is next week," started Giotto. Tsuna looked at his father and nodded, his eyes looking confused. "Well, as you'll be turning 14 officially next week, I would like to do something special," said Giotto with a smile. Tsuna nodded again, his face looking blur. Giotto's guardians looked at Tsuna. Tsuna's siblings looked confused. "Special? What kind of special, Papa?" asked Tsuna nervously. Giotto patted his head.

"I would like to hold a grand party for you," said Giotto. He watched his son's face carefully. Tsuna still looked confused. "A-A party? W-Why?" asked Tsuna as he looked at Giotto in surprise. Giotto took a deep breath and said "To announce officially that you'll be inheriting the Vongola." Tsuna dropped his fork and stared wide-eyed at his father. His siblings did the same. Giotto grinned. The room went silent. "What should I say?" asked Tsuna after a few minutes of awkward silence. Everyone laughed. "Well, do you agree?" asked Giotto. Tsuna bit his lip.

"Kufufu…this is fun…" mused Mukuro looking excited. Kyoya nodded boredly. Lambo snored. "GUARHHH! EXTREME" roared Ryohei. Hayato stood up, his eyes shining. "That's great, Tsuna!" yelled Hayato. G sighed. For the last 7 years, Hayato always told him that he was dreaming to be Tsuna's right hand man. Takeshi laughed. "That sounds like fun! What are we playing?" asked Takeshi. Everyone sighed. Asari laughed. Tsuna looked at his father doubtfully. "Are you sure, Papa?" asked Tsuna uncertainly. Giotto nodded confidently. "Of course! No one besides you will do a better job! Besides, I'm not going to ask you to take over so soon! This is just to announce it officially," grinned Giotto. Tsuna smiled. "Alright then!" replied Tsuna happily. Giotto breathed a sigh of relief and put a thumbs up towards G. G nodded in relief.

**A FEW MINUTES LATER**

Tsuna read the words on the piece of paper, his face serious. He sighed and crumpled it up. He pulled out a piece of paper and started writing. After he was done, he summoned Natsu. "Natsu, you know who to give this too," whispered Tsuna. Natsu purred and ran off with Tsuna watching him as he ran. Tsuna eyes turned sad. He was really looking forward to the ceremony next week, After all, it was his dream to inherit what his Papa built. Even so, he had been warned that something bad was about to happen. He picked up the crumpled paper and read it again. As he did, he gritted his teeth and tears started flowing down his cheeks. "I'm sorry, everyone…" whispered Tsuna. He tore the piece of paper and threw it to the bin. After wiping his tears, he grinned.

This was no time to be crying. He still had a lot of things to do before the ceremony say came. Tsuna nodded and picked up several pieces of paper and a pen. Time to get to work.

**DONE. Sorry if it kinda like sucked. I couldn't reveal so much in the first chapter and so it's kinda like a short introduction. Please be patient and wait for the story to unfold! In the mean time, please review!:DDD**

**CIAO!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU! Phew…I'm really glad all of you enjoyed the first chapter. I can now breathe in relief. :D Anyways, thank you so much for all your reviews. I sincerely apologize for the big chunk missing from paragraph 3. Yeah, I was writing something and I decided to erase it. Sorry. Anyways, here's Chapter 2!**

Chapter 2: Shock

The Milliefiore family was a family that was now growing in the Mafia world. The boss, Byakuran was a man filled surrounded with mystery. When he had first appeared out of the blue with his Mafia family, everyone talked about him for weeks. After much investigation, the Milliefiore was deemed to be very powerful. Many mafia families flocked to him to sign peace treaties or to sign alliances. Some though felt that his presence was a threat and so, they sent out assassinators to take his head. That was when everyone soon learned that the Milliefiore was a family not to be messed with. This was because none of the assassinators were ever seen again.

It wasn't a little later that everyone made a discovery. Byakuran was the holder of the Mare Ring which was a part of the Tri-Ni-Sette. To some families, this was quite a disturbing discovery. They all knew that the Vongola Rings and the Arcobaleno Pacifier were the final pieces of the Tri-Ni-Sette and they all knew that the Vongola Family was a peaceful family that didn't thirst for power. It was the same with the Giglio Nero family and the holders of the pacifiers. However, no one knew anything about the Milliefiore and its boss. It was everyone's fear that he would awaken the Tri-Ni-Sette.

The weeks went by and everyone finally relaxed. It seemed that Byakuran was a peace loving man who hated power. His excuse for killing the assassins was that he did it in self-defense, something everything agreed to. After all, it was only logical to protect yourself. Byakuran was also someone who often smiled and was very good socializing. Almost half of the mafia groups in Italy had already made alliances with him. Pretty soon, many parents hoped their daughters would marry this quite respected man. The only family that was wary about him was the Giglio Nero. When Uni heard about him, her eyes became dark and her face showed a hint of fear. To the other families, all of them were happy to think that they had gained a powerful ally.

This was until a terrible incident proved them wrong.

**WITH THE VONGOLA**

"Hayato-nii, what would you do if I died?" asked Tsuna suddenly one afternoon. He gazed solemnly outside the window. Hayato dropped the pen he was holding. He looked at Tsuna with disbelief. "W-WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT TSUNA? ARE YOU SICK?" asked Hayato, his voice filled with panic. Tsuna turned from the window and looked at his brother seriously. "The truth is, Hayato-nii. I…." said Tsuna as Hayato looked at his brother in alarm. "I….was just joking!" grinned Tsuna happily. He giggled at his Hayato who was still looking at him in alarm. Hayato took a few minutes to process the words before sighing in relief.

"You scared me for a moment there Tsuna! I almost had a heart attack!" said Hayato as he clutched his still chest where his heart was still beating madly. Tsuna smiled cheekily. "Don't worry, Tsuna! I'll protect you as your right hand man! I promise you!" yelled Hayato enthusiastically. Tsuna laughed and nodded at his brother. Ever since Giotto had announced that he would hold a party to let everyone know that Tsuna was going to take over the Vongola later, Hayato had been head over heels with excitement. He now trained twice as hard and kept telling Tsuna that he was going to be his right hand man.

Tsuna smiled at the memory and looked at the piece of paper on which Hayato had been scribbling some weird looking things on. Tsuna picked it up and examined it. "Hayato-nii, why did you draw this knife next to a pair of dynamite sticks and a dinosaur?" asked Tsuna curiously. The picture made no sense. Hayato grinned with pride. "Noticed it eh? This is a Gokudera Hayato invention called 'G-Writing's!'" announced Hayato proudly. Tsuna looked at Hayato with a confused expression.

"G-Writings? Put these look like pictures…" muttered Tsuna. Hayato nodded proudly again. "It's a secret code invented by me and only I can read it! For example, this picture says 'Stupid old man'. Good idea eh?" said Hayato happily. Tsuna sweatdropped but nodded his head. Uri who was sleeping peacefully beside Hayato yawned and looked at its master and rolled its eyes. If that wasn't enough, it sighed. Hayato glared at it. "What's that look for? You looking down on me you cat?" growled Hayato with his fist raised.

Uri stuck its tongue out and jumped on Hayato. Uri snarled and started scratching him. "URII! THAT HURTS YOU DUMB CAT!" yelled Hayato as he started wrestling with his cat. "H-Hayato-nii?" asked Tsuna worriedly as more sweat drops appeared on his head. He looked at the scene and laughed. "Come on, Uri! Stop harassing Hayato-nii like that!" chuckled Tsuna cheerfully. He walked over to the still quarrelling duo and picked Uri up. Uri snarled at Hayato and licked Tsuna's face. Tsuna laughed. Hayato started muttering to himself. The door opened and Takeshi walked in, a cheerful grin on his face.

"Tsuna! I've been looking everywhere for you! Uncle Giotto is looking for you! Don't forget tomorrow's the big day!" yelled Takeshi happily. He looked at a scratched up Hayato. "Oh Hayato, why did you draw lines on your body?" asked Takeshi in confusion. A vein twitched in Hayato's head and he glared at Takeshi. "SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" yelled Hayato angrily. Takeshi laughed. "HIEEE! IT'S TOMORROW? TOMORROW? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" yelled Tsuna in panic. He stood up, his eyes filled with panic. Takeshi nodded. "HIEEE!PAPA!" yelled Tsuna as he ran out.

**THAT NIGHT**

Tsuna was in his room. It was now 10 at night. After 5 hours of listening to his father and his uncles about the big day, Tsuna could finally retire to his room. He was feeling really nervous about tomorrow. A knock sounded on his door and Giotto walked in. He looked at his son and smiled. "Are you feeling excited, Tsuna?" asked Giotto with a grin. Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "N-Not really…" muttered Tsuna with a sigh. Giotto smiled gently and patted his son's head. "Liar. Don't forget that I can sense it when you lie," said Giotto as he tapped his head. Tsuna sighed again. "Alright, I am. I'm happy to inherit your treasure, Papa but I don't think I'll be a great boss like you. What's more, I…hate killing others…" muttered Tsuna. He bit his lip and twiddled his thumbs.

Giotto smiled again. "Don't worry about that, Tsuna. You'll definitely be a great boss! That's why we made the decision to pick you to become the next Vongola boss," replied Giotto confidently. Tsuna nodded. "Really, Papa? You're not saying that just to comfort me are you?" mumbled Tsuna nervously. Giotto shook his head. "You'll be fine, Tsuna. You're my son after all!" said Giotto with a grin. He ruffled Tsuna's hair again and walked out of the room. Tsuna smiled. That comforted him a little but that didn't take away all of his worries. Something knocked on the window and Tsuna opened it. Natsu jumped in and purred. Tsuna giggled and picked it up. A piece of paper was tied to his leg.

Tsuna read the note and sighed. He looked at his table where a few pieces of paper lay. Burning the note, he walked over to his desk and started writing. For a few minutes, he concentrated on his work. After he was done, he opened his door and walked out. Natsu waited in his room and was lying comfortably on Tsuna's bed. 10 minutes passed and Tsuna finally came back. His face looked thoughtful. Something tapped his window and Tsuna ran to it. This time, mini robot jumped into the room with a box. Tsuna watched in awe. This had to be one of Shoichi's creations. The robot held up the box and Tsuna took it. "W-Wait! Give this to him!" called Tsuna. He hurriedly scribbled a note and gave it to the robot. The robot saluted and jumped out again. Tsuna sighed and opened the box. He gasped and quickly closed it again. A note was attached to the box. Tsuna picked it up and read.

_Dear Tsunayoshi,_

_Uni of Giglio Nero told me to pass all of this to you for safekeeping. She didn't tell me why but she said it was for upmost importance. She said the time will come when these will play a very, very important role. Please guard it with your life!_

_P.S Good luck for your big day! _

_Irie Shoichi._

Tsuna gulped and took another look into the box. He felt a cold shiver crawl down his spine. Why were these with him? Didn't they get rid of it a long time ago? What was Uni up too? What was going on? Tsuna sighed and lay on his bed. Tomorrow was the day everyone was looking forward to. Tsuna gulped. Tomorrow was also the day something bad was going to happen. After all, Uni's predictions were never wrong.

"Brace yourself, Natsu…" whispered Tsuna as he closed his eyes. Natsu whimpered.

**THE NEXT DAY**

"TSUNA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" yelled Tsuna's family as he exited his room. His face was filled with surprise but he quickly hid it. "Happy Birthday, Tsuna! Today's a really big day for you!" cheered Giotto. He hugged his son tightly. Tsuna turned red but laughed. "Papa! I'm too old for all of these!" whined Tsuna. Giotto chuckled and looked sternly at his son. "No one is too old for a hug!" said Giotto. Tsuna smiled. "Happy Birthday, Tsuna!" yelled Takeshi and Asari together, making Tsuna jump. Takeshi laughed and hugged Tsuna as well. "TSUNA! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" yelled Hayato bowing low. Tsuna turned red. "H-Hayato-nii! You don't have to bow for me!" said Tsuna. Hayato shook his head firmly. G sighed and ruffled Tsuna's hair. "You've grown so much, Tsuna…" muttered G.

"Happy Birthday, Tsuna," said Alaude and Kyoya coldly. Tsuna chuckled. "As a birthday gift, I'll fight you after the ceremony tonight…" said Kyoya coldly although his eyes were filled with excitement. Tsuna laughed sheepishly and took a few steps back. "N-No need, Kyoya-nii. Thank you for wishing me though!" replied Tsuna. "Kufufu…Happy Birthday, my cute little brother…" chuckled Mukuro eerily. Chrome nodded her head. "Kufufu…I could just posses you right now…" said Mukuro with a sadistic grin. Tsuna sweatdropped and took a few more steps back. Even though he looked up to Mukuro, he was still afraid of him sometimes. Daemon patted Tsuna's head and smiled at him.

"GUARHHH! EXTREME BIRTHDAY WISHING!" roared Ryohei, his eyes filled with fire. He turned his face to Tsuna. "SAWADA! AS YOUR BIRTHDAY GIFT, UNCLE KNUKCLE AND I HAVE GOTTEN YOU…A PAIR OF BOXING GLOVES!" yelled Ryohei. Knuckle nodded. Tsuna sweat dropped. "Y-You really shouldn't have…" muttered Tsuna. Ryohei laughed and pulled out a box. "NOW WE CAN EXTREMELY FIGHT EVERYDAY!" roared Ryohei. "Would you like to try it out?" asked Ryohei looking excited. "Er…" started Tsuna but was saved by Lambo.

"Happy Birthday, Sawada Tsunayoshi…yare, yare…didn't you know that October 14 is bad day to be born?" asked Lambo. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" asked Tsuna. "Well, as 13 is a bad luck number and 14 comes after it, it's still considered a bad luck number. Something bad is going to happen to you today!" said Lambo eerily. G whacked his head and whacked Lampo's as well. Both of them whined. "Why me?" asked Lampo in pain. "That's for teaching Lambo stupid things!" growled G, his fist still raised. Lampo started muttering to himself. Tsuna gulped. Giotto sighed. "Don't worry, Tsuna. That's just nonsense…" said Giotto. He looked at his watch and gasped. "It's time! We have to get ready!" said Giotto, his voice filled with authority.

"Wait! Before that, we all have something to give Tsuna!" yelled Hayato. Everyone nodded. Giotto whacked his head. "Oh right! I just remembered! Alright, hurry up and give it to him!" said Giotto. Everyone looked at him and sighed. "You're the one holding it…" muttered G. Giotto frowned and then whacked his head again. He grinned sheepishly at his guardians. "Sorry, Sorry!" apologized Giotto as he pulled out a small box from his pocket. He handed it to Tsuna. Tsuna looked at it with curiosity. He opened the box and took out a ring.

"What is this?" asked Tsuna as he examined the ring. It was plain looking except for the fact that there was a tiny picture of a pacifier, the Vongola Ring and a weird looking ring engraved on it. Tsuna arched his eyebrow. What was this? "Talbot made that for you. We all made as a good luck charm," said Giotto with a smile. Tsuna's face lit up. He looked at his siblings, his face filled with joy. "Thank you so much! I'll treasure this!" said Tsuna with a big smile. His family breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh right! Here's a chain! Hang the ring here!" said G. He tossed a chain to Tsuna who barely caught it.

"Now, let's get going!" insisted Giotto. Everyone nodded and went to their rooms to get changed.

**AT THE PARTY**

"THERE YOU ARE, MY CUTE LITTLE CHROME!" squealed Elena happily. She pulled Chrome into a big hug. Chrome gasped for air. "M-Mother…welcome home…" muttered Chrome shyly. "Kufufu…how was your trip, Mother?" asked Mukuro politely. Elena smiled and gave him a hug. "Fine, thank you!" replied Elena happily. "Nufufu…it's nice of you to attend the party, Elena," said Daemon lovingly. He embraced Elena lovingly. Elena laughed. "Of course I'll have to attend! How could I miss my nephew's big day?" asked Elena excitedly. A few ladies glared at her. How dare she marry Daemon Spade?

Chrome smiled. She could still remember that day like it was yesterday. After much persuasion (which included getting into fights and yelling on top of their voices), Giotto and his guardians had successfully persuaded Daemon Spade to propose to Elena. Elena who was caught by surprise squealed with joy when he did and agreed to it full-heartedly. She was especially happy to know that Chrome and Mukuro would be her adopted kids. Chrome was glad to see her father finally getting married.

"Kufufu…there are a lot of people here…" observed Mukuro. He looked around the nicely decorated room. As it was a formal occasion, he and his sister were dressed in their best clothing. Chrome nodded. All around her, women dressed in fancy looking clothing chatted happily with one another. A lot of important men had attended the party. A small group of teenage girls had surrounded Mukuro and were trying their best to woo him, something Mukuro found amusing. Chrome giggled. "Oi stupid girl! There you are!" called a voice. Chrome turned around and smiled. Ken and Chikusa were approaching her. Both of them were also wearing formal clothing. "Ken, Chikusa…nice to see you…" greeted Chrome. "Ken was really looking forward to this. Ever since your father invited us, he has been counting down the days…" said Chikusa without hesitation. Ken turned red and started arguing with Chikusa. Chrome smiled.

Giotto was surrounded by people. The moment he had walked in with Tsuna, a flock of people came rushing to them, a mixture of reporters, women and teenage girls. "KYAHHH! SO HOT! PLEASE MARRY MEEE!" screamed a woman as she hyperventilated. The rest of the women did the same. "TSUNA-SAMA! YOU LOOK SO MUCH BETTER! KYAHH! MARRY ME!" screamed the teenage girls. Tsuna took a step back and smiled sheepishly. "Vongola Primo! What is the main reason you threw this party? How do you look so young after these few years?" asked the reporters noisily. Giotto sighed and forced a smile that dazzled the women. "I can't reveal the reason now. Please wait for a few minutes. As for your other question…erm…I can't answer you," replied Giotto. Unfortunately for him, the reporters had more questions for him, most of them ridiculous.

"Excuse me but unless you don't want to find a bullet in your intestines, please move," said a menacing voice. Everyone looked up and saw G and Hayato. Giotto and Tsuna sighed in relief. The reporters gulped and hastily retreated. The women sighed and moved. "Tch! I hate these people…" muttered G as he put his hand on his head. Hayato ran up to Tsuna. "Tsuna! Are you hurt?" asked Hayato worriedly. Tsuna smiled and shook his head. More and more people piled into the room. Important mafia bosses piled in with their bodyguards and wives. Giotto looked at G and both men sighed. It was time to entertain them. Giotto looked around for his guardians.

Daemon and his wife had already disappeared (Not that Giotto wanted to know where). Chrome was chatting happily with her friends while Mukuro was surrounded by female admirers. Asari was entertaining the boss of another family while Takeshi chatted happily with some boys. Alaude and Kyoya were sitting in the corner of the room, a dark aura emitted from them. The hated crowds. A loud 'EXTREME' told Giotto that Ryohei was busy entertaining some guest. Knuckle was nowhere in sight. Lampo was yawning. He was surrounded by girls. Lambo was at the food table, stuffing his face with food.

"Vongola Primo. A pleasure seeing you!" greeted a voice. Giotto and G turned around and came face to face with Byakuran. Giotto smiled pleasantly. "Byakuran...nice seeing you here…" said Giotto politely. Byakuran smiled and nodded his head. "The pleasure is mine! It was nice of you to invite me over even though we've not signed any treaties or alliances…" said Byakura cheerfully. He looked around and spotted Tsuna. "Sawada Tsunayoshi…the next heir of the Vongola…" whispered Byakuran. Giotto could have sworn he saw an evil glint in Byakuran's eyes but decided that he was just imagining things. Byakuran smiled and turned his attention back to Giotto.

"I am looking forward to your speech, Primo-chan! I hope you'll be able to sign an alliance treaty with us! After all…we need to be friends to awaken the Tri-Ni-Sette….Until next time, Primo-chan!" cheered Byakuran as he waved and disappeared into the crowd. Giotto frowned. He had not heard clearly what Byakuran had said. He shrugged his shoulders and turned to Tsuna. "Tsuna, meet me at that door in 30 minutes, you got that?" yelled Giotto through the noise. Tsuna nodded his head. Hayato had already disappeared into the crowd.

"Tsuna! There you are!" yelled a familiar voice. Tsuna turned around and broke into a large smile. Enma and his father were approaching him. Behind them, Irie Shoichi and Spanner followed. "Enma! Uncle Cozart!" greeted Tsuna happily. Cozart smiled and ruffled his hair. "Happy Birthday, Tsuna! Where's your dad?" asked Cozart with his usual grin. "He went that way!" said Tsuna. He pointed into the sea of people. Cozart nodded and walked off. Tsuna turned to his friends. "Happy Birthday, Tsuna! Are you ready?" asked Enma and Shoichi, their eyes serious. Tsuna bit his lip and nodded. "It's in 30 minutes. This is making me nervous!" whispered Tsuna. His friends looked at him sympathetically. Spanner who had no idea what the heck was going on walked to the food table.

Tsuna chatted with his friends happily until he had 5 minutes left until he had to get to the door. Before leaving, Tsuna whispered something into Shoichi's ear and passed him a small bag. Shoichi nodded his head seriously and took the bag. Tsuna waved one last time and ran to the door. As he stood by it, he watched the scene in front of him. There had to be tons or millions of people in the room. He gulped. What was he going to do? He was hoping that his Papa didn't make him say anything. He was sure he would puke if he did. Tsuna twiddled his thumbs nervously. He watched as Giotto walked up the stage.

"Thank you all for attending the ceremony today! Now I know all of you must be wondering why I called for a gathering at such a weird timing," started Giotto. The room immediately went silent. The reporters started writing down notes. His guardians along with their children stood in front of the stage. Giotto smiled. "Today is my son, Sawada Tsunayoshi's birthday. Today is also the day when I officially announce to the world that he will be the next boss of the Vongola Family," announced Giotto. The crowd gasped and then started applauding loudly. Giotto looked at Tsuna. "Come on up, Tsuna!" called Giotto. The crowd looked at him. Tsuna felt his cheeks go red as he walked up the stage. His siblings were applauding loudly. Tsuna looked at Giotto. Giotto smiled encouragingly. The crowd clapped louder. Tsuna turned to the crowd and smiled pleasantly. Giotto patted his head.

"Even though I said that he would be the next boss, he is still way too young to be taking over the Vongola now. That is why I have decided to allow him to present to him these temporary rings made by our dear friend, Talbot so that he will get used to it!" announced Giotto. He snapped his fingers and the butler walked up the stage with a fancy looking box. Giotto took it from him and opened it. Tsuna looked amazed. Even though the rings were a fake, they were still beautiful. They glinted in the lighting. Tsuna gulped. He looked at his father and then at the crowd. He looked at his siblings who nodded proudly. Giotto passed the box back to the butler and was about to say something when the unexpected happened.

A gunshot sounded.

The whole room went silent. The silence was broken as the people started murmuring. What just happened? Everyone looked at the stage and gasped. Tsuna was clutching his chest, his body shaking. His eyes were wide with shock. He fell to the ground, blood dripping from his wound. "TSUNA!" yelled his family at the same time. All of them rushed to him. "Tsuna! Hang in there!" yelled Giotto as he looked at his son. Blood was still oozing from the wound. Tsuna coughed and blood came out. He smiled.

"TSUNA!" yelled his siblings. Chrome had tears in her eyes. Kyoya was in shock. Mukuro was shaking with anger. Hayato and Takeshi were looking at him wide-eyed. "KNUCKLE! HEAL HIM!" yelled Giotto. He had placed his hands over the wound for what he didn't know. Knuckle nodded urgently and started healing. Everyone watched with held breaths. The Sun Flames went off slowly and Knuckle turned around, his body shaking with grief. He shook his head, the tears flowing down his cheeks. "N-No…" gasped Giotto. "Please, Knuckle! Try it again!" yelled Giotto, his eyes filled with tears. "I-It's no use, Giotto…the bullet hit an important organ…It's too late…" said Knuckle softly. Giotto shook his head. His tears were now cascading down his cheek.

"TSUNA! PLEASE LIVE!" yelled Hayato. Takeshi was shaking all over. Ryohei and Lambo were already sobbing. The adults all looked grim, anger written all over their face. "PLEASE, TSUNA!" begged Hayato. "Knuckle! Please! Try! Do anything!" yelled Giotto in desperation. Knuckle's hands shook as he approached Tsuna again. Tsuna coughed and held up his hand weakly. "Tsuna!" yelled Kyoya and Mukuro. "Don't Papa. I know that it's too late…" whispered Tsuna. "Please, Tsuna! Don't talk!" begged Giotto. "Don't say something like that! You'll live!" yelled Giotto. Tsuna shook his head and smiled weakly. "You know perfectly well, Papa…It's too late…" whispered Tsuna again.

"Papa, don't cry! I was glad you wanted me to be the next Vongola boss! I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill your wish…" whispered Tsuna. Tears dripped onto the floor. "Hayato-nii, I'm sorry I couldn't live long enough…for you to be my right hand man…you would have been the best…" said Tsuna. Hayato sobbed. "Takeshi-nii…I'm sorry for not being able to join you in not passing up our homework…" continued Tsuna, blood coming out from his mouth. "STOP TALKING, TSUNA!" yelled Takeshi, his fist clenched. Tsuna chuckled weakly. "Now, Now, Takeshi-nii! That's not…like you to lose your cool like that!" grinned Tsuna. Takeshi gulped. The last person who had said that to him was his father on his deathbed. He choked back his tears.

"Kyoya-nii! I'm sorry about not being able to fight with you after the ceremony…I was actually looking forward to it…" whispered Tsuna, his voice becoming softer. Kyoya gritted his teeth, his whole body shaking. His normally cold eyes were now filled with tears. It was the same with Alaude. "Ryohei-nii, thank you so much for your gift…It makes me sad that I wasn't and won't be able to use them…" whispered Tsuna, tears cascading down his cheek. "Lambo, be a strong boy! I'm so sorry Papa and I stole one of your shortcakes last time!" said Tsuna. Lambo and Lampo started bawling. Giotto's guardians were also crying. "Mukuro-nii, Chrome, I wanted to surprise the both of you…for your birthday…" whispered Tsuna. Chrome hid her face behind her brother and started sobbing. Mukuro put his arm around her, his eyes filled with tears.

"My vision is getting blurry and my voice is getting softer…weird…I don't see my life flashing before my eyes like they said I would…" whispered Tsuna. He looked at his family and smiled. "Papa, thank you for taking us in even though we bore the curse that time…Everyone, thank you for keeping me accompany all these years…I love all of you…goodbye…" whispered Tsuna. He smiled one last time before breathing his last. His eyes closed and his body went limp. The room went silent. The guest were now in tears.

"TSUNA!" yelled Giotto, his eyes filled with tears. He looked at his now shaking hands. They were covered with Tsuna's blood. He looked at Tsuna's still smiling face. Hayato was now sobbing, his face covered by G's clothing. G stroked his son gently and looked solemnly at Tsuna's lifeless body. Tears were still filling up his eyes. Kyoya's body was shaking with both anger and grief. His tears dripped down his face. Alaude closed his eyes and pulled Kyoya close to him. "Cry if you want too, Kyoya…It's alright…" whispered Alaude. Kyoya made to movement but Alaude knew he was crying. Kyoya sniffled.

"T-Tsuna…" sobbed Chrome as she fell to her knees. She looked at her dead brother and fainted. "N-Nagi!" yelled Mukuro. He ran to her and lifted her up. Looking down at Tsuna, his hands shook and he started crying again. Daemon pulled his family into a hug. Elena was sobbing loudly. "S-SAWADA!" yelled Ryohei as he too fell onto his knees. Knuckle patted his shoulder. Ryohei cried, just like the time when he saw his family's dead bodies. Takeshi looked at Tsuna and clenched his fist. Tears were silently streaming down his cheeks. Asari closed his eyes. Why was this happening? Lampo was comforting Lambo who was now sobbing loudly. Even the arrogant Lightning Guardian had tears in his proud eyes. In the audience, Cozart and his son watched the scene, their hearts breaking. Why was Tsuna the target? Enma's hands shook and tears dripped down his face. Spanner and Shoichi looked at the scene with surprise in their face.

Giotto looked at Tsuna and slammed the ground. Why did Tsuna get hit? He was overcome with grief. He picked Tsuna's lifeless body up and hugged it for the last time. "Get me the Sky Ring Talbot made…" ordered Giotto, his voice shaking with anger and grief. The butler nodded solemnly and opened the box. He picked up the Sky Ring and handed it over to Giotto. Giotto took the ring and looked at Tsuna. He took Tsuna's hand and placed the ring on his finger. He then walked out of the room with his body, his guardians following close behind.

From a far corner, a man with white spiky hair smiled at the whole scene. Taking one last look at the scene, he walked out of the hall, a song on his lips. The obstacle was now out of the picture.

It was time.

**Done. Hmm…Please review as usual! Tomorrow's one will be the funeral (I think). I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter! Until we see again, Ciao!:D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Hello after a rather long break that I took. First of all, I am so sorry for the long pause on this story. I've been really busy lately. The bad news is that I don't think I'll be able to update as frequently as I did in the previous story. I will try my best to do though. As for all your reviews, thank you all so much for them! I really appreciate reading every single one of them and I would love to name all those who reviewed but there were just too many of you. Here's a big hug in return though!:D**

**Anyways, without further delay, here's Chapter 3.**

Chapter 3: Gloomy Days

10 in the morning and the sky looked dark. The sun hid behind the black clouds that covered the whole sky. Droplets of rain dropped down to the earth. 5 weeks had already passed since the day young Sawada Tsunayoshi died in his father's arms with a smile on his face, his blood spilling everywhere. 5 weeks had already passed since his funeral where the whole town gathered. (The funeral was held 2 days after the incident.) As a man lowered Tsuna's casket down into an already dug hole, his whole family had different reactions.

Tears streamed down Hayato's face as he watched the box that held his younger brother's body get lowered. "T-Tsuna!" sobbed Hayato. He looked at his hand and a memory of Tsuna extending out his hand the first time he invited Hayato to live with them flashed into his head. Tears dropped onto the earth as Hayato's knees buckled and he dropped onto the floor, his sobbing getting louder. "This isn't real! Get out of my head!" screamed Hayato in agony. He gripped his head tightly. G, who was also looking extremely grim, bent down and put his arm around his son's shoulder and Hayato didn't even bother to push him away.

Takeshi watched the casket with blank eyes. His fists were tightly clenched and he bit his lip hard. Tears were also cascading down his cheeks. His whole body was shaking as he tried his hardest to stop the crying. The feeling of losing somebody special to him again was unbearable. He shut his eyes tightly, hoping the pain would go away. "Takeshi-nii!" called a familiar voice. Takeshi's eyes snapped opened and looked to his left. Tsuna was looking at him with a confused smile as if to say 'Why are you crying?' Takeshi looked in shock. "T-Tsuna! B-But—" said Takeshi as he blinked. When he opened his eyes, Tsuna was gone. Takeshi's eyes opened wide and he looked at his half outstretched hand which was now shaking. Was that just a hallucination?

He blinked again and again, as in hoping to see his brother once more. The more he blinked, the more his vision got blurry. Someone put their hands on his shoulder. "It's alright to cry, Takeshi. If you feel like it, go ahead…" said Asari gently. Takeshi looked at his father. He wiped his eyes and saw that his sleeve was wet. Asari was looking at Tsuna's casket with a solemn face that rarely appeared on his usually cheery face. Ignoring the world around him, Takeshi started crying like never before. His brother was dead and it felt something had died within him.

Hibari Kyoya looked at the everything through his cold, blank eyes that day. He was standing as far as he could from the casket. With his arms folded and his back against a wall, he eyed the crowd of fake mourners (some of them came just to show Giotto that they 'cared' about his son). He bit his lip in anger as he saw a few woman crying crocodile tears and pulling out their handkerchiefs in fake remorse. They were all looking at Giotto to see whether they had caught his attention but unfortunately for them, Giotto was still looking at his son's casket to be bothered. Kyoya looked away. In the crowd, he could see Alaude, his eyes as sharp as a hawk. He was observing the crowd. Kyoya felt anger build up in him. It was hard enough to look at his beloved little brother lying in his father's arms with blood all over and even harder to see him lying in his coffin, a peaceful look on his innocent face. Kyoya could only look at his face for 10 seconds before turning away.

Now, Kyoya growled as he thought of that cursed person who dared do this to his brother. Tsuna had such a bright future in front of him and it was all taken away in a split second. _'It's my fault…I_ _failed to protect him…If I was more alert, I could have stopped this from happening…' _ thought Kyoya. Regret and remorse filled him. He slammed his fist into the wall behind him, creating a small dent in it. Something landed on his shoulder. Hibird looked at him with concern in its eyes. Kyoya stroked his pet. "Tsuna…I promise you…I will track this person to the ends of the earth and eliminate him…Rest in peace…" murmured Kyoya as a slight breeze blew. Deep down, Kyoya could almost hear Tsuna sighing in disapproval, worried that Kyoya would get hurt.

Chrome sniffled. She was still crying. Her brother, Mukuro patted her head gently even though his eyes showed anger and sadness. Her father, Daemon Spade pulled his whole family into a hug and closed his eyes. He could not imagine the amount of grief Giotto was going through right now. When Tsuna died that day, Giotto went into shock. Even after they had removed Tsuna's body, Giotto still looked like he was in a daze. He had stopped crying but what was reflected in his eyes were way worst. His normally warm gaze had now turned cold. In fact, they actually looked colder than Alaude's. He had slammed his fist into a wall and had broken it (making everyone worried). He had refused to enter Tsuna's room for some reason and had stayed in his room for a whole day, refusing to come out for meals or anything else. Even now as Daemon looked at his boss, a sense of pity welled up in him. Giotto was kneeling in front of Tsuna's grave, a far-away look on his face. Hayato, G, Asari, Knuckle and Ryohei were all standing behind him.

"Kufufu…I am going to kill them…how dare they harm my cute little brother?" whispered Mukuro eerily. "Father, even if you don't allow me, I will track this person down and make his suffer for what he did…" said Mukuro, his voice cold and eerie. Daemon kept silent for a moment and looked at his son. Chrome looked at Daemon with pleading in her eyes. She too wanted to join her brother. Daemon sighed. He was very sure Alaude and Kyoya were already packing to go on a trip to track that person down. He nodded his head and placed his hands on his children. He nodded silently. Mukuro grinned eerily and chuckled to himself. He was going to have fun that was for sure. He nodded to the owl on his shoulder and the animal hooted and flew away.

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**

G looked out the window and sighed. Ever since the funeral, the weather seemed to have also gone haywire. It had been drizzling day after day. To him, it was as if the sky was mourning at the loss of Sawada Tsunayoshi. He sighed again and went into the living room. The house which was normally filled with laughter, running and yelling was now completely silent. The only sound that was heard now was the sound of his footsteps echoing throughout the house. As he entered the living room, he stopped walking and looked at the portrait that hung on the wall. He smiled to himself. The picture was taken a few years ago as Tsuna's birthday gift. It was a happy portrait and it stood out in the house that was filled with nothing but sorrow now.

Two days after the funeral, Alaude, Kyoya, Daemon and Mukuro went together (with temporary partnership among each other) to hunt the person who did this. Giotto on the other hand, was more composed then G had expected. After the funeral, he went back to his job as a mafia boss but G could sense that his friend/boss had changed slightly. His normally warm eyes were now cold and hard, he hardly said much and he went on more missions. He had refused to step into Tsuna's room and even asked the butler to leave the room alone when he was asked whether he wanted to tidy the room. In fact, no one wanted to enter the room except for Natsu who whined piteously for its master every day. Asari, Knuckle, Lampo and G went for more missions. All of them wanted to catch this person no matter what the cost.

As for the kids, G could see that they were all affected as well but the problem was, they were affected more compared to the adults. This was mainly because all of them grew up together. Takeshi, Hayato and Lambo spent more time in their rooms. G constantly heard angry cussing or sniffling whenever he passed by Hayato's room. Once, he had entered the room to discover Hayato covered in bruises. After yelling at his son for more than an hour (G thought Hayato was purposely injuring himself), G discovered that Hayato was actually improving a technique called System C.A.I. As for Ryohei, he was still as extreme as ever but now, he was training even harder than ever. He was determined to protect everyone the next time something like this happened.

G sighed again. Back then, they had so much fun with one another (even though G did not want to admit it). Halloween, the-bathroom-that-got-turned-into-a-hot-spring, walks in town, Valentine's Day and so much more. After Tsuna died, it seemed like everything had died with him. Now, everyone preferred to stay in their own rooms. They no longer ate meals together. G growled. Personally, he would love to rip out that person's intestines and let him suffer. After all, he had taken away the 'life' of the Vongola household.

"Hey old man…" came a voice. G turned around and saw Hayato walk in. Hayato had a serious face on, a face often seen after Tsuna died. G arched his eyebrow. "Hayato. What is it?" asked G as he looked at his son. Hayato scratched his chin. "Have you seen Uri? That pest has been missing since this morning," growled Hayato. G snorted and shook his head. "Losing a cat now have you? Shameful…." tsked G. A vein twitched in Hayato's head and he raised his fist in defense, something he did whenever he got into arguments with G. "Shut up you old man! I didn't lose Uri! He's probably chasing rats or something!" replied Hayato. "I'm sure he is…" muttered G sarcastically. "Wanna bet, old man?" growled Hayato. "Bring it on you brat!" replied G. Both father and son glared at each other.

"At it again, G?" asked Giotto with a slight grin. He had just returned from a mission and looked really tired. "Giotto. How was your mission?" asked G. Hayato muttered a greeting and strode out of the room, calling Uri's name. Giotto watched Hayato walk out of the room with a dazed look. "It's been a long time since I last heard both of you argue like that…"mused Giotto to himself. He looked at his right-hand man and his face turned serious. "I was unable to obtain any form of information about that person…I was this close but I failed…" muttered Giotto, anger filling his voice. G nodded seriously and looked at his friend thoughtfully. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. His face turned grim.

"Alaude just sent back some news. There's the good news and the bad news. Which one first?" asked G as he waved the paper in the air. Giotto sighed tiredly. "The bad news…" muttered Giotto. G shrugged his shoulders and unfolded the paper. "All of the Arcobaleno's are missing. There is no trace of them or their belongings anywhere. It was as if they disappeared into thin air all of a sudden," announced G. Giotto frowned. This was serious indeed. The Arcobaleno were very, very important in maintaining the legendary Tri-Ni-Sette. "Uni. Is she gone to?" asked Giotto. G nodded. "Apparently, Gamma from Giglio Nero has been painstakingly searching for her since," replied G. Giotto nodded.

"You'll find this interesting. Alaude said that Byakuran from the Milliefiore was very, very disturbed when the Arcobaleno went missing. He said that Byakuran actually went into a fit and nearly destroyed his family," said G. Giotto frowned. Byakuran…The person that was high on his suspect list. This was information indeed. Why was he so disturbed that the Arcobaleno were missing? Giotto rubbed his head which was now starting to spin.

"And now, the good news. Alaude said he found some information about….about Tsuna's killer…" coughed G awkwardly. Giotto's ears pricked up and he looked at G with fire in his eyes. "What did he find?" asked Giotto urgently. He actually stood up. G looked at the paper. "Alaude says that he has to confirm the identity of the person first before he tells you but he says he suspects its—that blasted Alaude, he forgot to attach the other piece of paper! That idiot!" growled G as he looked at the last sentence. Alaude had written the word 'suspect' and that was all. G looked into the envelope and growled. There was nothing inside. He looked at the back page but there was nothing there. A vein twitched in G's head. He was going to tell that guy off when he came back. Giotto sighed.

"It's alright, G. I'm sure Alaude had his reasons. Either that or he really forgot…I'm going to go wash up now…Good night," called Giotto as he turned to walk out. "Giotto, I know you've still not gotten over Tsuna's death but I think you really should go into his room and have a look around. You know, just for erm…memory sakes," said G, his voice filled with concern. Giotto nodded and walked out of the room.

**LATER ON**

Giotto stood in front of Tsuna's room, his hand on the doorknob. He was actually debating with himself on whether he wanted to enter the room. After washing up and changing his clothes, his feet brought him to the room opposite his and his brain started its debate. Part of him wanted to walk in and get it over with but another part of him was telling him that there was nothing wrong with just standing there. The scene from that day replayed in his head. Giotto clenched his other fist and gritted his teeth. The part that haunted him the most was when Tsuna smiled before leaving the world. That memory was the one thing that prevented him from entering the room.

'_Just walk in you idiot!'_ hissed his inner thoughts finally. After standing in front of the door like an idiot for the pass few minutes, he finally mustered the courage to turn the doorknob and walk in. The room was dark and the smelled dusty. Giotto switched on the light and looked around. Nothing had changed. The room was unusually messy and dust was starting to settle in. Looking at the room, Giotto felt a pang of grief and anger. Grief because he remembered the days he used to wake Tsuna up and anger because of the accursed person who took Tsuna from him. Brushing away his thoughts, he walked around the room.

When Giotto reached the writing table, he stopped and examined it. There were papers all over the desk. Giotto smiled at the memory that his son was a messy person and started cleaning up. He piled the papers together. As he did, he saw an envelope. Curious, Giotto picked it up and looked at it. The front part was blank. Giotto was about to put it down when his Hyper Intuition told him to examine the whole thing. Giotto then looked at the back part and was surprised: the word 'Papa' was written there. It was a few minutes before Giotto snapped out of his shock and held the envelope with his both hands, the mess on the table forgotten. Tsuna had left a letter for him. Giotto cursed himself. Why didn't he enter the room earlier?

Without wasting another moment, Giotto opened the letter and started reading. This was what the letter said:

_Dear Papa,_

_If you're reading this letter bow, it means that you've finally stepped into my room and decided to rummage through my desk. Hehe. First off, please do not blame yourself for what happened to me or what is going to happen to me. Uni had already warned me earlier that this was going to happen and that nothing could be done as I would have died one way or another. Apparently, that person had a feeling that I was going to be a real threat to them. Papa, thank you so much for choosing me as the second boss of the Vongola Family. It was my dream to take up that place and carry on your job and wanted to continue growing up with all of you but that isn't possible right now. If I still could, I would have enjoyed working together with you and everyone else, Papa. This is all I can write for now. If by some chance a miracle happens and I live, I would love to take a walk in town with you and everyone else just like last time! _

_Goodbye, Papa! I love you._

_Sawada Tsunayoshi._

Giotto felt his vision go blurry. He blinked and saw his tears drip down to the paper. He clutched the paper tightly and wiped his eyes. Why didn't Tsuna tell him earlier? If he had known, heck if all of them had known, they would have done something. Uni…the girl that was now missing. Giotto folded the letter gently and put it inside his pocket. He would give anything to take one last stroll with his son again. Giotto walked to the table and looked around it. He wanted to see if Tsuna had left anything behind.

The door opened behind him and Giotto spun around. Natsu walked into the room and approached Giotto. He rubbed his face on Giotto's leg and purred. Giotto smiled and stroked the animal. Natsu looked at Giotto with intelligent eyes. He then looked at the bed Tsuna made for Natsu (and failed. In the end, Tsuna bought one for him.) Giotto looked at Natsu then at the bed, his eyes a total blur. Natsu sighed and walked over to his bed. He jumped into the basket and patted the blanket with his right paw.

"Are you telling me to look underneath it?" asked Giotto. Natsu nodded. Giotto bent down and put his hand underneath the blanket. He then pulled out another piece of paper. This paper looked unique. Giotto quickly unfolded the letter and almost dropped it in surprise. It started talking. Natsu whimpered and hid behind Giotto. Tsuna had told him what to do but he was not expecting this. What was this witchcraft?

"_This paper will exploded after the contents have been read. The message will now start playing," _announced the paper. Giotto watched in wonder. What was it going to say? _"Papa! This is Tsuna. I decided to use one of Shoichi's inventions for this one because I fear that it may fall into the wrong hands. Don't you think it's cool?" _asked Tsuna's voice excitedly. Giotto looked at the piece of paper with wide eyes. The paper, not only held Tsuna's voice but it was also showing his happy face, a face Giotto missed dearly. Giotto reached his hand out even though he knew it was just a recorded thing.

"_Ahem, Tsunayoshi…please hurry up. I have a time limit here…" _muttered a second voice. Tsuna giggled and nodded his head. _"Anyways Papa, I'm not sure whether any of you noticed but your rings are back to normal. After much experimenting, the Arcobaleno Verde made sure that it would stay that way. This is because the previous shape it took is much more powerful and it could be very dangerous in the hands of an enemy. Uni made me do it. I'm sorry. Don't worry. When the time comes, they will return to the other form. There is another paper underneath my bed and take care of Natsu…" _ called Tsuna before the video ended. _"Please step back as this parchment will explode shortly. Thank you very much,"_ announced the paper. Giotto snapped out of his daze, grabbed the paper and threw it out the window. A few minutes later, a small 'boom' was heard and the paper was gone.

Giotto looked at his ring. Tsuna was right. It was now back to its original dull colour. Was the other form more powerful? He did not really know. After all, he hardly ever used his ring unless he was fighting and that was quite rare. He shrugged his shoulders and looked underneath Tsuna's bed. There was another paper there but when Giotto opened it, he could hardly make out head or tail of it. It was just a bunch of letters jumbled up together. '_Maybe Tsuna wrote it wrong or something…'_ thought Giotto. Even so, he rolled up the paper and put it into his pocket. "Come Natsu…Let's go," called Giotto. Natsu nodded and followed after its new owner.

**WITH HAYATO**

Gokudera Hayato lay on his bed with a dazed expression. After practicing his 'System C.A.I' for hours, he was feeling very exhausted. His mind wandered to his brother, Tsuna. He growled to himself. "Right-hand man? Hah! What a joke!" muttered Hayato bitterly. He sat up. Why didn't he push Tsuna out of the way? Why didn't he take the bullet? What was wrong with him? Tsuna who was always so nice to him was now gone. Right-hand man's didn't let their boss die. If they did, his Uncle Giotto would have been dead long ago. "I'm weak…" spat Hayato. He looked at his hands and felt a deep sense of hatred for himself. Why was he alive and Tsuna dead?

Something scratched against his window. Hayato jumped at the sound and turned around. Uri was scratching the windows with his claws, his face smug. A vein twitched in Hayato's head as he opened the window and allowed the cat in. "URI! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU CAT! DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD PRACTICING SYSTEM C.A.I WAS WITHOUT YOU?" yelled Hayato. Uri growled and stuck his tongue out. "Stupid cat…" growled Hayato. Uri growled and jumped onto Hayato. He started scratching, causing both of them to start arguing.

After a few minutes of fighting with one another, both owner and pet lay panting on the floor. Uri stood up and walked over to Hayato. "What is it? You're asking for another round aren't you?" growled Hayato. Uri growled and turned around. Hayato looked at his in surprise. There was something tied to his back. Why didn't he realize this earlier? It was a miracle it actually survived their fight. Hayato untied the paper. He looked at it and stood up in excitement. It was from Tsuna. With shaking hands, Hayato unfolded the letter and started reading.

_Hayato-nii,_

_Uri is a smart cat, Hayato-nii. You're so lucky to have him. I know that you're probably blaming yourself for my death or my almost death day. I'm writing this to say that it's not your fault. If I ever became the next Vongola Boss, I would have been proud to call you my right-hand man. I know you're capable of doing a lot of cool things and you would have been one of the best right-hand man's in the world. I regret not being to see the day where all of you become my guardians. If I do live and have the chance, I would like to see your completed System C.A.I! Take care of everyone for me. This is your duty as my right-hand man!_

_P.S Please fighting with Uncle G._

_P.P.S Papa needs to learn 'G Writings', don't you think so? _

_Sawada Tsunayoshi._

Hayato read and reread the letter again and again. He sniffled. He had never known Tsuna had held him in such high regards. He was sobbing in pride. As he wiped his eyes, he read the last sentence and frowned. G Writings? Why did Tsuna want him to teach everyone else? Hayato's frowned deepened as he pondered the meaning behind the sentence. Was Tsuna trying to leave a message behind? That was very unlikely. He shrugged and stood up. He was just going to do as Tsuna said.

"Thank you, Uri…" muttered Hayato awkwardly before running out of his room. Uri yawned and closed his eyes.

**IN THE LIVING ROOM**

"WHAT? SAWADA WROTE A LEETER TO YOU TOO?" roared Ryohei as he looked at Takeshi with wide eyes. Takeshi nodded urgently. "He wrote one to my Dad too!" said Takeshi. Asari nodded and pulled out a piece of paper. "That child…" sniffled Knuckle as he clutched his letter tightly. He was sobbing loudly without shame. Lampo was reading his letter. "I am not lazy…" muttered Lampo, his face turning red. Lambo's hands were shaking as he read the letter. "B-Big Brother Tsuna!" sobbed Lambo. Lampo patted his shoulder awkwardly. He was not one for comforting. Chrome was wiping her eyes. "Brother Tsuna…" murmured Chrome as she held the letter to her chest.

"What's all this?" called a voice. G walked in with a piece of paper in his hands. He was reading it while he walked in. He was sniffling. "G got one too!" gasped Asari. G snapped away from his letter and looked at Asari. "What do you mean—oh…" said G. "So Tsuna wrote to everyone?" asked G. Everyone nodded. "I wonder why we only received it after so many weeks…." muttered Knuckle. G shrugged. At that moment, Giotto rushed in, his face filled with urgency.

"Oh everyone's here! Good! I have something to tell all of you," said Giotto. "Ah, Giotto! We have something to tell you as well!" said Asari. Giotto looked at his Rain Guardian and let the words register into his head. "I see. Alright then, go on," said Giotto. "Tsuna left all of these for us! Look!" said Takeshi in excitement. He waved his paper in front of Giotto. Giotto took a step back in surprise. Tsuna left all of them a letter? "What about you, Giotto? What were you going to tell us?" asked G, his eyebrows arched. Giotto nodded and told all of them what had happened. Asari looked at his ring. "It's true. It's gone back to its original shape," muttered Asari. G and Knuckle examined their rings. "I don't understand though. Why did he do it?" asked G with a frown. Giotto shrugged. He too wanted to know the answer.

"UNCLE GIOTTO! WHERE ARE YOU?" yelled Hayato making everyone jump. The door slammed open and Hayato rushed in, looking flushed. "Hayato? What are you doing? Is someone attacking the house?" asked Giotto in alarm. Hayato shook his head and pulled out his letter. "Tsuna wants me to teach all of you 'G Writings'!" yelled Hayato. Everyone looked at him blurly. "G Writings? G, what have you been teaching Hayato?" asked Giotto blurly. G shook his head. "I'm honored that he named something after me," grinned G. Hayato sighed and started explaining what G Writings was. Everyone except for G was looking rather impressed with Hayato. "So this is what you've been doing in class eh?" growled G.

"Anyway, Tsuna asked me to teach Uncle Giotto 'G Writings'. I don't know why though…" muttered Hayato. Giotto frowned and reached for his pocket. He then pulled out the paper with letters. "Tsuna gave this to me. I have no idea why he did though…" muttered Giotto. Hayato looked at the paper. "I think Tsuna wanted us to use this as practice!" said Takeshi, his face filled with excitement. Hayato nodded and sat on the nearby chair. He pulled out his spectacles and cleared his throat.

"Alright! Let's get started. Everyone, pull up a chair!" ordered Hayato. He looked at the paper and frowned. There was something strange with this note. Hayato froze, his eyes widened. "Hayato? What is it? Start your teaching," said G as he tapped his foot. Hayato didn't move. He was still staring at the note. "OI OCTOPUS HEAD! HURRY UP!" roared Ryohei impatiently. Hayato snapped out of his shock and looked at everyone with wide eyes. "Someone get me a piece of blank paper and a pencil!" ordered Hayato urgently. Giotto frowned but brought the things to Hayato. Hayato took the things without looking away from the paper. He then proceeded to writing everything down onto the paper.

"Can you please tell us what the heck is going on?" asked G and Lampo impatiently. Hayato looked up from his paper in annoyance and answered. "It's a message! Tsuna left us a message and gave me the task of decoding this!" replied Hayato as he read the note. "WHAT? A SECRET MESSAGE?" asked everyone in unison. Everyone crowded around Hayato. "What does it say?" asked Giotto urgently. Hayato shook his head while he scribbled. Clearly, he didn't want to be disturbed.

"I never knew Tsuna could plan until this detailed…" muttered Asari. Knuckle nodded. Takeshi was watching Hayato write, his face serious. "I cannot imagine how long Tsuna took to learn this 'G Writing'…It looks rather complicated…" muttered G. "Hayato left a book of reference on his desk. I think Tsuna took it and used it to his advantage," replied Takeshi. The adults looked at Takeshi and nodded. "He really was fit to become the next Vongola boss…" muttered Lampo.

"IT'S DONE!" yelled Hayato, making everyone jump. "What does it say?" asked Giotto urgently. Hayato nodded and read the translated note which said:

_Hide Underground. Terrible Future. Uni._

_Find Irie, Spanner and Shimon Family._

_Vongola Rings-Mare Ring-Arcobaleno Pacifier_

_Keep. Guardians. Together._

_1 year._

_Do not kill him now._

_My killer, enemy…._

Giotto frowned. What was this supposed to mean? Hide underground? 1 year? Was Tsuna telling them to hide underground? He looked at his guardians. G was deep in thought. Asari and Knuckle looked confused. Their kids looked blur as well. Hayato was looking at the original letter Tsuna left them. There was still a small part there he had not translated. It had to be the name of the enemy. "Hayato. Can you translate that last part for me? It's urgent!" said Giotto. Hayato nodded and went straight to work.

"Could it be? I think Tsuna's trying to tell us to hide underground from this unknown family and that we have to gather this Irie and Spanner and Cozart's family to join us?" muttered Giotto. G scratched his head. "That looks plausible. That's the Tri-Ni-Sette he's talking about…I think Uni saw this enemy family using the Tri-Ni-Sette. 'Keep. Guardians. Together…' Does he mean we have to be united?" asked G blurly. Giotto bit his lip and nodded. That seemed like the only explanation. "But what does 1 year mean?" asked Lampo. "Could it be the time left for us to get ready?" asked Chrome shyly. Giotto and G looked at each other and nodded. Behind them, Hayato had picked up the paper with shaky hands. His face was filled with anger. "It's him…That man…HE KILLED TSUNA!" yelled Hayato angrily. Giotto turned around. "Who was it?" asked Giotto, his heartbeat increasing.

The door slammed open and Giotto turned to look at their guest. Alaude, Kyoya, Daemon and Mukuro rushed in, their faces filled with anger and hatred. "Primo. We have our man. He's the one…" growled Alaude. "Who was it? It may very well solve our mystery here!" growled G impatiently. Alaude and Daemon looked at each other and nodded.

"It's Byakuran of the Milliefiore. The owner of the Mare Ring," announced Alaude. Giotto's eyes widened. Tsuna's letter suddenly made a lot of sense. There was a lot of planning to do.

**DONE! Once again, I'm sorry for the late updates. I'm rather busy nowadays and I can't promise a daily update. Sorry. Please review like you usually do. Thank you!:D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu everyone!:D Christmas is in a few more weeks and I'm in the mood for it!:DD **

**To Ms. Lucy Forever, I'm sorry for the spelling and grammar mistakes I make. I tend to type really fast *sheepish smile*. The sentence was supposed to say 'Please stop fighting with Uncle G.' I'm so sorry I made you confused. I would love to share advice with you. : ) Thank you for your review. :DD**

**To everyone else, Thank you so much for your reviews! I love the feeling when I wake up every morning and read all your reviews! LET ME LOVE YOU!XD (awkward). Ahem, anyways, I would like to bow down low and thank all of you once more for reviewing, liking and following the story!:DDD**

**Well, I'm not going to keep all of you waiting so here's Chapter 4! **

Chapter 4: Unexpected News

The sky was dark. Just like always, it looked like it was about to rain heavily. For those who were shopping leisurely in the town now quickly pulled out their umbrella's or were running home. Some shopkeepers were hastily trying their best to keep their belongings to avoid them from getting wet. As everyone tried their best to save themselves from the coming downpour, all of them did not realize a young hooded figure passing through the town, his face looking urgent. In his hand, he clutched a piece of rolled up paper.

The young man looked behind him cautiously. This piece of paper was very important and he had to deliver it to the Vongola Mansion as soon as possible. Enma sighed. He had no idea where the Vongola Mansion was. Yes he had visited it a lot of times but being Enma, he had zero sense in direction and was now lost. Enma bit his lip and scratched the top of his hood, his face sheepish. Why didn't he bring a map? Adelheid always reminded him over and over to bring one whenever he went out. Enma sighed again. Asking wasn't a bad idea.

After a few minutes of asking, someone finally told him the way to Vongola Mansion. Enma breathed a sigh of relief. With a happy feeling, he continued his way. As he walked out of town, he felt footsteps approaching him. Enma felt feat creep into him. Was he being followed? _'Don't panic. I'm sure this person is using the same route as you are to his/her destination….I hope…' _thought Enma. As he reached a crossroad, he turned right, hoping the person would use the left route.

Unfortunately for him, he heard footsteps following him. Enma felt his heart beat faster. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Rain started dropping slowly. Enma clutched the paper tightly. He could already see the mansion straight ahead but someone was tailing him. An idea popped into his head.

Without any warning, Enma ran. Although he looked weak, Enma was actually a very fast runner. The only person who was faster than him was Tsuna. Now, Enma ran up the road as quickly as he could. He looked back and nearly had a heart attack. The person that was following him wore some kind of darkened goggles and was wore a cape that covered his whole body (Enma automatically thought it was a guy). Despite the situation, Enma frowned. Why did this guy have long blue hair? Pushing the thought aside, he realized there was a way more important thing, this man was fast.

Enma muttered to himself. Was this person after him for that piece of paper? If he was, Enma had to get to the Vongola Mansion soon. He looked up. Vongola Mansion was just a few meters from him. Just a little more. Enma looked back again and widened his eyes in surprise. The person had disappeared.

As Enma was too caught up with the fact that his stalker had seemingly disappeared, he slammed straight into someone as he ran. "Oww…." muttered Enma as he rubbed his head. He looked up at the person and gasped, his pain forgotten. This was the man that had been tailing him. Enma took a step back but the person grabbed his arm. Enma struggled but it was no use. This person was strong.

"Are you after the paper Tsuna left behind?" asked Enma, his face serious. The person kept silent and continued to look at Enma through his red shaded goggles. Enma frowned. This had to be an enemy. "Tell me, are you from the Milliefiore?" asked Enma angrily. This time, his question made the person react.

"Milliefiore? Don't lump me together with those murderous fools…" growled the person. Enma was surprised. The person's voice sounded feminine. This man was a woman? How confusing. The woman released Enma's arm and pushed up her goggles. "Enma of the Shimon Family…I've heard a lot about you…" growled the woman. Enma gulped. This woman was as frightening as his mother when she was angry. How scary.

"W-Who are you?" asked Enma timidly. The woman eyed him suspiciously. "Before I tell you my name, let me ask you a question, were you friends with Sawada Tsunayoshi?" asked the woman. Enma nodded nervously. The woman nodded and was silent for a moment as she eyed Enma suspiciously. "My name is Lal Mirch," introduced the woman. Enma gulped. Something about her made him cower in his boots.

**IN THE VONGOLA MANSION**

"So what do you say, Cozart?" asked Giotto of the Vongola. He eyed his friend seriously. His right hand-man G was standing beside him, his face looking grim. Asari and Knuckle watched the scene with serious eyes. Alaude and Daemon were glaring at each other. Lampo yawned and stretched his arms. How boring. Cozart frowned and scratched his chin.

"Alright. I'll agree. I've had a feeling that the Milliefiore was up to no good and since that's what the Sky child saw, I think it's for the best," replied Cozart with a smile. The atmosphere immediately lightened up. Giotto and G breathed a sigh of relief and whacked Cozart's back with a smile. Asari grinned while Knuckle wiped his sweat. Alaude and Daemon were still glaring at each other. Lampo had already fallen asleep on the couch.

"That's a relief, Cozart. We were expecting you to say that you were a bother and all those crap," said G. Cozart laughed. "I was about to start all those but I decided to skip them," muttered Cozart. "It's a relief to know that you'll be joining us, Cozart," said Giotto happily. Cozart nodded. "Primo actually had trouble sleeping just thinking about this," said Asari cheerfully. Giotto turned red. Cozart laughed.

The door knocked and the butler entered. "Master Giotto, Lal Mirch and young Enma has arrived," said the butler politely. He stepped back and the two newcomers entered the room. The butler bowed once again before shutting the door.

"Vongola Primo, Alaude sir," greeted Lal Mirch politely. Giotto smiled and nodded. Alaude merely looked at her coldly. Enma looked at his shoes with great interest. He was feeling uncomfortable. "Did you find anything new on the missing Arcobaleno?" asked Alaude. Lal Mirch's eyes became sad and worried. She shook her head. "I see…" muttered Alaude.

"Enma, why are you here?" asked Cozart gently as he patted his son's head. Enma bit his lip and reached for beneath his cloak. He pulled out the rolled piece of paper and gave it to a surprised looking Giotto. "This was from Tsuna. He asked me to give it to you once you all read his notes…" muttered Enma. Everyone crowded around Giotto as he opened it.

"T-These are blueprints? For the base?" asked G in awe. "Nufufu…it seems like little Tsuna has left something unexpected again…" mused Daemon. "Did he plan all of this by himself?" wondered Asari, his face looking impressed. "GUARHHH! THIS DRAWING LOOKS EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL!" roared Knuckle. "I feel stupid compared to him…" muttered Lampo looking ashamed of himself. Alaude examined the blueprints carefully. Giotto did the same. Indeed, this blueprint was very well drawn. Giotto smiled. A sense of pride filled him up again.

"Well, it seems like we should start building this. Alaude, I'll leave the hiring to you. We discussed the conditions, remember?" said Giotto, his voice boss-like. Alaude nodded. He then pointed at the bottom of the blueprint. "its written here 'Call Giannini, Shoichi and Spanner' and 'Install protection against Non Tri-Ni-Sette radiation"," said Alaude. "Who's Giannini?" asked G. Everyone shrugged.

"Giannini is an engineer. Reborn must have told Tsuna about him," answered Lal Mirch. Giotto frowned and looked at Alaude. Alaude nodded and walked out of the room. A few minutes later, he came back in. "Done. I've sent men to look for him," announced the skylark. "This is the second time I've seen the names Shoichi and Spanner. They must be really important," muttered Giotto. "Daemon, I have a mission for you and Mukuro," said Giotto. Daemon grinned and nodded.

"Find these two kids. I don't want the enemy to find them before we do," ordered Giotto. "Nufufu…alright. Take care of Chrome and Elena while I'm out," said Daemon as he left the room. "Lal, what does the 'Non Tri-Ni-Sette radiation mean?" asked Giotto. Lal Mirch shook her head. "I heard Reborn and Verde talk about it once but I wasn't paying attention," sighed Lal. How she wished she was. "Don't worry, Lal. We can still ask this Giannini person when he arrives later," said Giotto comfortingly. "Alright. All of us have something important to do now. Let's go!" ordered Giotto, his voice filled with authority. Everyone nodded. Head bowed, Enma stood up.

"Please wait, Uncle Giotto. I have something to tell you…something terrible we did…" said Enma, his eyes looking at the floor. Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked at him curiously. "What it is, Enma?" asked Giotto. Enma looked up but avoided Giotto's eyes. He had taken a sudden interest in the bookcase behind Giotto. Giotto arched his eyebrow. Was that guilt in Enma's eyes?

"Well…it involves…Tsuna…" muttered Enma uncomfortably. The room went silent. Giotto's eyes widened by an inch. Everyone else stared at the young red head. Enma took a deep breath. "I couldn't stop him…I couldn't stop Tsuna…and I'm sorry…" whispered Enma, his hands shaking. "What do you mean, Enma? Why couldn't you stop Tsuna?" asked Giotto as he approached Enma. Enma nervously took a step back and kept silent. His mind had suddenly betrayed him.

"Hey, stop wasting our time!" growled Lal Mirch impatiently. Alaude was eyeing Enma coldly. He had an urge to walk up to this boy and start interrogating him. Enma gulped and nodded his head nervously, noticing that everyone was eyeing him intently as though he was some kind of information note, which he was. Taking in a deep breath, he started his story.

_FLASHBACK_

_Enma Cozart was sleeping on his desk peacefully. It was recess and most of the students were out of the classroom. While most students would have preferred to take a stroll in the field or eat their lunch in the cafeteria, Enma chose sleeping on his desk. He did not understand why everyone else complained about how hard the tables were. To him, they were pretty comfortable. _

_The door opened and someone walked in. Thinking it was most probably a student who had forgotten to bring his or her lunch and was coming back to take it, Enma continued his nap. The footsteps stopped beside him and someone sighed. "Enma…Enma…ENMA!" yelled the person. Enma sat up with a start and banged his knee in the process. "S-Sorry, Enma! I-I didn't mean to scare you like that!" apologized Tsuna. Behind him, Spanner and Irie Shoichi were looking amused._

"_Oh Tsuna…Shoichi and erm…Spanner…Yeah…whaddya want?" muttered Enma, his voice tired. Tsuna smiled and pulled up a chair. Spanner and Shoichi did the same. Outside, a large crowd had gathered: Hayato was picking another fight with a senior and Takeshi was trying his best to calm him down, which was failing. Tsuna sighed, his face worried. "Enma, whatever I tell you now is top secret, understand?" started Tsuna. Looking confused, Enma nodded. Tsuna grinned._

"_Do you remember Uni from Giglio Nero?" asked Tsuna. Enma frowned and nodded. Uni had visited their school once. Enma remembered her as the weird girl in a weird costume. She was the school's gossip for one week. How could he forget? "Well, she is actually the Arcobaleno sky holder and she can see the future. Listen closely because this is where the problem starts," said Tsuna, his voice filled with urgency. Enma nodded again. Outside, Hayato and Takeshi were now surrounded by the senior who were cracking their knuckles._

"_Uni has predicted Tsunayoshi's death…it'll be on his birthday…" said Shoichi quietly, his face grim. Spanner looked away. Enma looked at Shoichi in shock. His sleepy feeling had completely disappeared. He looked at Tsuna and tried saying something but no words came out. Tsuna was smiling sadly at him. "D-Death?" muttered Enma, his voice shaky. Shoichi nodded. _

"_She also said the reason I was killed was because I was going to be a threat to him in the future," said Tsuna grimly. He took one look at Enma and continued. "Uni also said that the Tri-Ni-Sette was going to be unleashed and that the Vongola family was going to be destroyed…" said Tsuna. Enma stared at his friend. How could Tsuna believe something as ridiculous as this? He looked at Shoichi and Spanner, hoping to see them crack up or say it was just a joke. Unfortunately for him, both of them looked grim. Spanner had pulled out a piece of paper and was sketching something out._

"_T-That's why we need to prepare for it, Enma. T-Tsunayoshi told us—" said Shoichi as he pointed to himself and Spanner "—and we agreed to help him. It is to save the future after all," finished Shoichi with a grim expression. Enma took a deep breath and tried to steady himself before talking again. "And you're asking me to…to help you?" whispered Enma. Tsuna nodded. _

"_Y-You're asking me to help…kill you off, Tsuna?" asked Enma. "Uni said that if Tsunayoshi didn't die on that day, he would have died later on. The enemy, Byakuran thinks Tsunayoshi will be a real threat in the future and will stop at nothing to get rid of him," replied Shoichi. "Then why not tell Uncle Giotto or anyone else? I'm sure they'll be able to help us!" yelled Enma angrily as he slammed his fist on the table. There were so many ways to save Tsuna but they still chose to let him die._

"_Enma, nobody wants Tsuna to die but this is our only choice. Tsunayoshi is also doing this for us," whispered Shoichi, his eyes looking sad. Enma stared at Shoichi. "W-What do you mean 'for my sake'?" gaped Enma. Tsuna who was watching his brothers worriedly in the field: Hayato had pulled out her dynamite and Takeshi was laughing light heartedly looked at Enma seriously. "Byakuran will also hunt down your family and kill them all," said Tsuna uncomfortably. "B-But why?" asked Enma after a few minutes of silence._

"_Because your father is Vongola Primo's best friend and Byakuran will eliminate all of Vongola's allies. Dino of the Chiavarone will be warned later on. Tsunayoshi has planned for all of us to go into hiding sooner and later. That is why he needs our help and there is no time to lose," said Shoichi seriously. Enma was dumbstruck. "No one else needs to die, Enma so please think about it…" whispered Tsuna quietly. He stood up and pushed the chair back to its original place. Spanner and Shoichi did the same. _

"_Alright…I'll help out…on one condition, Tsuna," muttered Enma just as Tsuna was about to exit the classroom. Tsuna whipped around and looked at Enma. "When the time comes, I will tell Uncle Giotto everything, deal?" asked Enma, his face reluctant. Tsuna smiled and nodded his head. He was about to say something when a large explosion sounded. Hayato had finally lost his temper and had thrown his dynamite. "HAYATO-NII!" yelled Tsuna worriedly as he dashed out. _

_The smoke cleared and Enma watched as Tsuna ran to his brothers worriedly. A few minutes later, Hibari Kyoya appeared and started threatening everyone. Enma sighed. _

_A FEW WEEKS LATER_

"_The Non Tri-Ni-Sette radiation rays? Is that some kind of sunlight?" asked Tsuna and Enma in confusion. Shoichi sweatdropped and sighed. "N-No. If I'm not mistaken, it's a type of radiation that kills of the Arcobaleno, isn't that right, Uni?" asked Shoichi as he looked at Uni. Uni was giggling. She nodded. Beside her, Spanner was still drawing on the piece of paper. The drawing was almost completed. All of them were in Talbot's shop and were discussing softly. _

"_Does Gamma know you're here, Uni?" asked Tsuna. Uni looked at him guiltily and shook her head. "I was going to tell him but…"muttered Uni. Tsuna sweatdropped and nodded. "Shoichi…where do you think this room should connect to?" asked Spanner as he pulled out a sweet and tore open the paper. Shoichi frowned. "Put it next to the exit. That way, all of them can grab their weapons easily in case of an emergency," muttered Shoichi. Spanner nodded and went back to work._

"_Uni, how did Byakuran eliminate our families in your vision?" asked Tsuna seriously. Uni's face turned grim. "It was not clear but I saw a terrible sight…There were dead bodies everywhere…It was the same for Giglio Nero…everyone was dead…" whispered Uni sadly. She clutched her pacifier tightly. Everyone was silent. "Uni…I'm sorry to ask this but…how will Tsunayoshi die?" asked Shoichi uncomfortably. Enma looked at Tsuna who was examining and giving ideas to Spanner. Judging from his eyes, Enma could see that he already knew._

"_A bullet to the heart…on his birthday…in front of his family…" replied Uni with a sad smile. Enma and Shoichi were silent. Tsuna walked up to them and patted them on the back comfortingly. "Don't worry about it! I've already planned on what to say to them as I die. Be warned, it's going to be very long!" grinned Tsuna. Enma was amazed. How could Tsuna still smile? If it were him, he would have been depressed all along._

_With a polite smile, Uni stood up and bowed. "I have something to talk about with Mister Talbot. Please excuse me," said Uni before walking knocking on a door and entering the room. "Tsunayoshi…where do you think I should place the kitchen?" asked Spanner. Tsuna, Shoichi and Spanner were now engrossed with their sketching. Tsuna scratched his head. "I think it should be as far as possible from the boiler and store room. We don't want an explosion and since no one in my family can cook…" said Tsuna with a sigh. Everyone else sweatdropped and nodded in agreement. Nobody wanted any fatal explosions._

_A few minutes passed by and Uni came out of the room. "Thank you so much, Mister Talbot. I'm grateful to you," said Uni as she bowed politely. Enma could hear Talbot yelling something in response before Uni shut the door. Shoichi was clutching his stomach, a sign that meant he was nervous. Enma was pretty sure he was worried about their blueprint which was almost finished. _

"_Sawada…I have something to tell you…" whispered Uni gravely. She motioned for him to follow her into Talbot's work room. With a confused expression on his face, Tsuna stood up and followed her. The door shut behind them. Curious, Enma went to the door and tried listening to the conversation which failed because all he heard was 'Another vision' and 'you'. Talbot's hammering and banging made it nearly impossible to hear anything._

"_Enma, it's finally finished! Now, please be sure to give this to Vongola Primo after he discovers all of Tsuna's messages and meets your father, understood?" said Shoichi as he handed the roll of paper to Enma. Enma nodded and took the paper. With great care, he tucked in inside his big coat pocket. "It's in 3 days…" mumbled Spanner quietly. "3 days before…you know…" continued Spanner. Shoichi nodded grimly. Enma felt his stomach churn. "I hope Tsuna left all those messages properly…" muttered Shoichi as he clutched his stomach. "I hate this feeling though…we know what's going to happen to Tsuna but we can't do anything…" muttered Spanner. The two boys nodded in agreement. That was most probably the worst feeling._

_The door opened and Tsuna walked out with Uni, his face expressionless. Enma then went over the plan again so that everyone knew what to do. "Shoichi, Spanner, please don't give my Papa a hard time looking for the both of you when the time comes," said Tsuna with a cheeky smile. He patted the both of them on the back and grinned. "We have to look for the mechanic, Giannini so I don't think we can keep your promise…" replied Shoichi sheepishly. _

"_Enma, thank you so much for helping us even though you most probably didn't want to…" said Tsuna with a grateful smile. Enma nodded. "Alright, I have to go home! Papa will be worried if I don't! Thank you so much for all your help," said Tsuna with a bow. He then opened his arms and gave everybody a hug. This was going to be the last time he hugged everyone. After all, they would not have a chance during the ceremony. _

"_Take care…" whispered Sawada Tsunayoshi with a smile before opening the door and walking out into the streets. _

BACK TO THE PRESENT

"Truthfully, we didn't think it would have been that bad during the ceremony since all of us were expecting/dreading it for so long. When Tsuna walked up to the stage and nothing happened at first, we were kind of hoping Uni was wrong but then, it happened. Tsuna died. It was terrible. It felt worst knowing that I knew of it and could have avoided it….I'm sorry…" muttered Enma as he sniffled. The room was silent. All eyes were fixed upon him. Nobody moved, all of them were still taking the news in.

Finally, after a few minutes of tense silence, Giotto patted Enma on the head and smiled. "It's alright, Enma. You don't have to blame yourself. Tsuna made the decision. Even if you had stopped him, he would have been…killed…" said Giotto. Cozart nodded in agreement and patted his son comfortingly. "You've been through a lot, kid…Take some time off and calm down…" growled G. "Did you miss out anything?" asked Giotto seriously. He did not want to push Enma for further details but these were important. If Enma had left something important out, their lives could be at stake.

"Uni said Byakuran would attack in a year from the first time she saw her vision. This means we have very little time left…" said Enma as he twiddled his thumb. Giotto looked at his guardians in alarm. They hadn't even started building yet. "Alaude, Asari, Knuckle, Lampo, you're mission is to see to that this thing is built as soon as possible!" ordered Giotto. His guardians nodded and practically ran out of the room with the blueprints, Alaude in the lead.

"G, could you please go over to the Chiavarone family and tell them what's happening. I'm sure Dino was already told what was going on," said Giotto urgently. G nodded and he too went off. "Giotto, I have to go back home to tell everyone," said Cozart seriously. Giotto nodded. "Enma, before you go, I want to thank you," called Giotto with a smile. Enma nodded and soon left with his father. Giotto sighed and looked at Lal Mirch who was looking at the wall with a black expression.

"Lal…I know you don't want to but would you go into hiding with us? After listening about this non Tri-Ni-Sette radiation thing, I am worried about you…" said Giotto. Lal Mirch looked at him and sighed. "Alright…I too think that if I go into hiding with all of you, I would get some information on Colonello…" replied Lal with a sad smile. "But before that, may I bring in an acquaintance of mine?" asked Lal. "Who is it?" asked Giotto. He was in the middle of going through his papers.

"Fuuta di Stella, or also known as Ranking Fuuta. I have a feeling he would be useful to us later on…" said Lal with a serious face. Giotto nodded. He had heard of this Ranking Fuuta before. Lal Mirch smiled and bowed. She then walked out of the room. A few minutes after she left, someone knocked on the door and Daemon walked in with Mukuro. They were followed by a short looking man wearing a black suit. Behind him, two young boys walked in. All three of them had a look of fear plastered on their faces. Giotto sighed. He did not want to know what Daemon and Mukuro did.

"Nufufu…Primo…we found them. All three of them were wandering suspiciously on the streets…" chuckled Daemon eerily. Giotto smiled thankfully. "I'm sorry, Daemon, Mukuro but I have something urgent I need the two of you to do," said Giotto. Both father and son looked at Giotto with puzzled expressions. "I need you to join the others in constructing the base. I'm afraid we're running out of time. While you're at it, ask Asari or Knuckle to tell you what Enma told us just now," ordered Giotto. With a suspicious look on Daemon and Mukuro's face, the two of them left the room without a word. Once the two of them left, the three guests sighed in relief.

"V-Vongola Primo…a-an honor to m-meet you!" gasped Giannini, his eyes sparkling with delight. Giotto smiled. "V-V-V-Vongola….P-P-P-Primo…" stuttered Shoichi as he clutched his stomach. He was nervous. Spanner was pulling of the wrapper off his sweet but his gaze never left Giotto. "Giannini, I'm sorry to call you at such a short notice but my son, Tsuna left a message behind saying we needed your expertise to build the underground base. He said something about building the non Tri-Ni-Sette radiation barrier. Could you please help us out?" asked Giotto urgently. Giannini's eyes became even more sparkly. "I-I'd be delighted to! I-I can start anytime!" gasped Giannini. Giotto smiled. "Great! Please go and join my guardians. I think they'll be somewhere in the Solitario Forest right now. That's where we plan on building the base which will stretch a long way, thanks to these two geniuses," said Giotto as he pointed at Shoichi and Spanner. Giannini nodded and rushed off.

"Shoichi, Spanner. I heard everything from Enma. I'm thankful for what the both of you did. If it wasn't for your help, I don't think Tsuna would have accomplished anything. That is why I think the both of you should and must join us into hiding," said Giotto seriously. The two boys nodded. "V-V-Vongola Primo…sir. Tsunayoshi did tell us the same thing and we have agreed. Actually, we were asked to help in the building the base, something Tsunayoshi told us to do on the day he was killed," muttered Shoichi nervously. Giotto looked impressed.

"Alright then. Since the two of you planned the blueprints, I think I should leave the base to the both of you. Come. There's no time to waste!" said Giotto urgently as he took coat and walked out of the room. The two boys looked at each other and nodded before running out of the room. When they reached the building sight, they saw everyone already gathered there, guardians and children. Alaude had called a lot of men, made them swear not to reveal anything to anyone under the penalty of death and they were already starting their work. With that amount of workers, the base was going to be completed in no time.

**A FEW MONTHS LATER**

"It's all been moved, Primo. We should move in already…" said Alaude coldly. Giotto nodded. Months had flown by every since their construction started. Thanks to their endless working, it was already completed. Giannini, Shoichi and Spanner had added in special alarms and cameras for security. Based on Alaude's reports, the Milliefiore was starting to become restless and were already starting to attack. It was high time they started moving in.

And so, Giotto sent out letters to all those who were involved in the hiding and told them to meet at the Solitario Forest on Tuesday morning. When Tuesday came, Giotto and his guardians (and children) took one last look at the mansion before starting their journey to their new home. When they reached the place, Giannini, Shoichi, Spanner, Lal Mirch and Fuuta were already waiting for them. After a hasty greeting, all of them went into the base first. A few minutes later, the Shimon family appeared. Much to Hayato's surprise, they too had a lot of children.

The Chiavarone were the last family to arrive as Dino spent his first few hours in the morning tripping and falling. When all of them had gathered, Giannini closed the big electronic door that secured the entrance. As the door closed, Giotto took one last look at the outside world before turning back and walking into the base that he now had to call home.

The time for all of them to fight was approaching.

**DONE. If any of you were wondering how their construction went unnoticed, I named the forest they chose 'Solitario' which means lonely in Italian. This means (in the story) that no one actually wanders into that forest often and that it's really far from society. I am sorry for the typo's and if the storyline is bad in this chapter. I was in a rush to type this story. Anwyays, please read and reviewww!XDDD**

**Until next time, Ciao!**

**(P.S I will add more of the kids in the next chapters. This chapter was mainly still focused on their planning.) **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! I'm counting down to Christmas. All those readers out there who celebrate Christmas, let's all count down together. :DD Back to topic, like every other chapters, I'll start with saying thank you for your reviews! *bows low* **

**Here's Chapter 5! Enjoy!:D**

Chapter 5: Activities Inside the Base

**A FEW WEEKS AFTER GIOTTO AND CO WENT INTO HIDING**

"Hey, did you hear? That elite Vongola group has vanished!"

"I know! I heard that too! Apparently the local authorities have tried their hardest to look for them but came up with nothing!"

"I heard Vongola Primo was very depressed after his son was shot! Maybe that's why he decided to vanish like that!"

"That could be it but my brother told me that the Shimon and Chiavarone family have also disappeared!"

"Oh my! This is terrible! Who will keep the town safe now?"

"Well, my brother also said that the Milliefiore family is rising up. Their boss, Byakuran has willingly said that he will protect our families if we form an alliance with him!"

"Is that so? I have to tell my boss about this!"

**1 WEEK LATER**

"This is terrible! My boss told me that the Vongola mansion was attacked just recently. It's a good thing no one was home or somebody would have gotten killed!"

"I know! I was so shocked when I heard the news! The police are still looking for the culprit! I hear it's not going well."

"Who would do such a thing? What a good thing Byakuran of the Milliefiore was there and reported this to the police. He looked so troubled!"

"Byakuran? Oh my…that was so nice of him! I feel so much safer knowing that he now looks after us!"

"I agree! Did you know that when the Tigre and Serpente Family were fighting, he dropped everything and rushed over to break up the fight! I heard that he did not go, those two families would have started a war!"

"Don't forget the time when Vongola Primo's son was assassinated. I heard that he went over to Primo's mansion and consoled him! I think that was pretty sweet of him!"

"Ah…what a good thing he's handsome too…"

**A FEW WEEKS LATER**

"What? Byakuran has asked us to help him track down the Vongola, Shimon and the Chiavarone?"

"Yes. He also wants us to help him look for the boss of the Giglio Nero! He said that it was very important!"

"But why?"

"I don't know. He said that the Vongola have allied themselves with the Shimon and the Chiavarone because they are plotting something against us!"

"WHAT? Vongola Primo, Shimon Cozart and Dino Chiavarone? Plotting something? Today's not April Fool's is it? This is ridiculous!"

"I feel the same but my boss thinks differently. He actually believed Byakuran! Oh dear…"

"But why does he want to look for the boss of Giglio Nero?"

"Apparently she holds something that belongs to him. I heard my boss tell my brother that Byakuran is also looking for Vongola Primo because of this similar reason."

"This seems rather suspicious to me. Oh well, let's just wait and see…"

Unbeknownst to the both passer-by's, their conversation had been heard and recorded by a young man who had been lurking in the shadows.

**SOMEWHERE IN SOLITARIO FOREST**

Gokudera Hayato was yawning. He stretched his arm and yawned widely. He looked at his clock and sighed. It was already 8:30 in the morning, time to get up. He then proceeded to sit up and looked around the room sleepily. The room was filled with papers that were littered everywhere. A picture of him, his father, Tsuna and Giotto hung on the wall. His cat, Uri was still sleeping on its basket.

Hayato looked at the bottom bunk of the double deckered bed and sighed. His father, G was already out of bed and had even folded the bed sheets neatly. Without wasting any more time, Hayato jumped from the top bunk and went to change. After he was done, he walked over to his desk and grabbed his papers. He then walked out of the room.

"AN EXTREMELY GOOD MORNING TO YOU, HAYATOO!" yelled Ryohei enthusiastically as Hayato walked into the kitchen. "SHUT UP YOU IDIOT!" roared Koyo Aoba and Hayato at the same time. Ryohei laughed merrily. With a growl, Hayato walked over to his seat and sat down. He looked around. There were no adults in sight. Mukuro was glaring at Julie Katou who was flirting shamelessly with Chrome. At the stove, Suzuki Adelheid was trying her best not to throw the ladle she was holding at him. Lambo was eating cake with Rauji Ooyama and was chatting happily with him. Shitt.P was meditating.

'_The UMA is communicating with her planet! I have to write this down!' _thought Hayato excitedly as he scribbled onto his hand. He would later jot this down into his notebook. Enma was talking with Shoichi and Spanner. Takeshi was talking animatedly about sports with a shy looking Kaoru Mizuno. Hibari Kyoya was not in the room which was not surprising. He hated crowding.

**FLASHBACK**

When the Vongola children met the Shimon kids, all of them had different reactions. Mukuro had a feeling that he would not get along with Julie. This became true when Julie winked at Chrome, not knowing that Mukuro and Adelheid were already planning his funeral. To make things worse, Julie approached Chrome and started flirting with her. He then stroked her hair, making her turn red. He stopped only when an enraged Adelheid pulled out her metal fans and whacked him hard on the head.

Ever since then, Mukuro swore to never leave Chrome alone.

Shitt.P fascinated Hayato. From the first time he saw her, he had a strong feeling that she was an outer space being. The way she dressed, the way she got around and the way she spoke confirmed his suspicions. She definitely had to be an U.M.A. Being someone who loved mysterious creatures, Hayato knew he had to keep an eye on her. And so, he did.

"Do you like sports?" asked Takeshi with the normal grin on his face. The person he was talking to looked at him with surprise all over his face. He nodded shyly. Takeshi laughed. "That's great! I now have a person I can talk to about sports!" laughed Takeshi. He looked at the boy. "My name is Takeshi. What's yours?" he asked. The boy looked at him for a moment before saying "Kaoru Mizuno". He was still staring at Takeshi. This was the first time someone had actually dared approach him. "Kaoru? That's a great name!" laughed Takeshi who was happy to have met a new friend.

Rauji had been leaning against the wall holding a box of cake his Uncle Cozart had given him when he was approached by Lambo. "I-Is that…c-cake?" gasped Lambo as he eyed the cake with wide eyes. How he loved cake. Rauji nodded silently. Lambo whimpered. Being a rather kind person, Rauji held the box out to him. "Here, you can have it. I don't really feel hungry," muttered Rauji. Lambo's eyes widened. "R-Really?" gasped Lambo again. Rauji nodded silently. "Y-You're so nice…" sniffled Lambo. He looked at Rauji and smiled. "Let's eat it together! My name is Lambo by the way…" said Lambo. Even though 7 years had passed, he still acted like a child sometimes.

Kyoya did not even bother introducing himself. When he walked into the base, he went straight to his room.

"GUARHHH! THIS IS AN EXTREMELY NICE LOOKING BASE!" roared Ryohei as he examined the base. "Tch! So annoying!" muttered Koyo, his face annoyed. He pushed his glasses up. Ryohei turned around. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" yelled Ryohei, his fist raised. "Is that boxing? I see. You are a boxer too! Alright then! Let's see who's better at boxing!" roared Koyo as he too raised his fist.

"IS THAT SO? I HOPE YOU'RE EXTREME BECAUSE I'M BETTER AT BOXING THAN YOU ARE!" roared Ryohei. A vein in Koyo's head twitched. "SAY WHAT? HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT TO ME? I AM THE HOPE OF THE BOXING WORLD! YOU WILL LOSE TO ME IN THE END!" yelled Koyo. The red eyes met the gray ones as both boys glared at each other.

"So sorry, Knuckle. Koyo has a passion for boxing. He tends to do this all the time…" said Cozart. He looked at Knuckle and sweatdropped. Knuckle was actually cheering the boys on. "Just let them be…we gave up a long time ago…" muttered G. Giotto nodded. "Though it's a good thing they're getting along so well!" said Giotto with a smile on his face.

"I hope…" muttered G.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"Here, "growled Adelheid as she dumped a bowl of porridge in front of Hayato. Hayato growled and was about to say something but stopped when he felt a dark aura emit from her. She was cracking her knuckles and had pulled out her metal fans. Her eyes were fixed on Julie. Hayato gulped and turned back to his food. He grabbed his papers and put them into his pockets. This was going to get ugly. He glanced at Julie who was still flirting with Chrome. Beside her, Mukuro had clutched his trident tightly, a dark aura surrounding him. Anything Julie did now was going to set him off.

Julie patted Chrome's cheek in a flirtatious way. This was the last straw for both Mukuro and Adelheid. "Kufufu…get ready to die, Julie Katou. I have been patient but this is too much…No one touches Nagi…" growled Mukuro eerily. Julie gulped, stood up and took a few steps back, his hands raised in defense. "Die, Julie!" hissed Adelheid as she brought down her fans. Julie ducked, causing her to hit the bowl on the table which flew and hit Lambo in the face.

"L-Lambo?" called Rauji nervously as he looked at his friend. After getting hit in the face by a bowl, Lambo had passed out and was now lying on the floor. Takeshi laughed as a fork whizzed by his face by inches. "Now, Now! Let's all calm down!" said Takeshi as another utensil passed him and nearly hit Kaoru. Adelheid and Mukuro had actually teamed up and were attacking Julie.

"GUARHHHH! EXTREME FIGTHING!" roared Ryohei passionately as he grabbed his bowl and threw it with full force at Koyo who caught it on time. "IDIOTT! FINE! BRING IT ON!" yelled Koyo as he grabbed the chair and flung it at Ryohei who dodged in time. Behind him, Enma, Shoichi and Spanner had taken cover under the table. Shoichi was holding onto his stomach. Spanner was looking at a blueprint. Enma was holding onto the table legs for dear life.

A vein in Hayato's head twitched as he sat on his chair and tried his best to endure the commotion that was happening in the kitchen. He was trying his best to look at his papers and upgrade his System C.A.I but it was not easy with everyone fighting around him. "THAT'S IT! SHUDDAP!" yelled Hayato as he whipped out his dynamite.

"AHH! N-NO HAYATO! Y-YOU MAY DESTROY THE B-BASE!" yelled Shoichi in a panic tone. Hayato glared at him, causing Shoichi to clutch his stomach more. Even so, he kept his dynamite. "OI TURF TOP! KEEP IT DOWN ALREADY!" yelled Hayato. "WHAT WAS THAT, OCTOPUS HEAD? I'M FINE THANK YOU!" roared Ryohei throughout the chaos. Hayato growled. "WHO CARES IF YOU'RE FINE? I SAID SHUT UP!" yelled Hayato. Far away, Takeshi, Kaoru and Chrome were trying to calm Mukuro and Adelheid down.

A few moments later, the doors opened and Dino walked in, looking rather cheerful.

"Good morning every—" greeted Dino before a knife flew past him. Not watching where he was going, he tripped on his own two feet and fell flat on his face. "D-Dino! Are you alright?" asked Enma worriedly as ran to help the Chiavarone boss. Dino nodded sheepishly. "I wonder why I fell…" muttered Dino as Enma sighed.

"Vongola Primo and his guardians will walk into this room in five minutes!" announced Spanner as he pointed to the electronic device he was holding. "DARN IT! EVERYBODY CLEAN UP!" yelled Hayato in a panic tone. Mukuro and Adelheid nodded and glared at Julie before turning away. "Guarhh! Our battle has to end here, Koyo! Until next time and then, I will extremely defeat you!" roared Ryohei. Koyo snorted. "Hah! Fat chance! I will defeat you in the end!" hissed Koyo. Both boys glared at each other. "SHUT UP AND HELP CLEAN UP ALREADY!" roared Hayato. Everyone hurried around as they placed the utensils on the table and arranged the chairs again.

"Good morning everyone!" greeted Giotto and Cozart as they walked into the kitchen cheerfully. They were followed by the other guardians. The children looked at the adults innocently. No way were they going to tell them that they had been arguing just a few minutes ago. The room had miraculously become clean. "Lambo, why are you lying on the floor? Lambo?" called Lampo as he shook the boy. Lambo was still unconscious. He looked at Giotto with a worried expression. "What happened to him?" asked Giotto as he eyed the other children.

"Don't worry about him. He slipped just now and slammed into the wall…Quite careless…" replied Adelheid with a pitiful look on her face as she eyed Lambo. The adults sighed. How careless of him. The children looked at Adelheid with arched eyebrows. It was her fault Lambo fainted in the first place. Hayato snorted. "I'll serve breakfast!" said Adelheid with a smile on her face. "I'll help…" muttered Chrome as she stood up.

The door opened and Lal Mirch walked in, her face grim as always. She was followed by a cheerful looking Fuuta. "Good morning, Vongola Primo, Cozart sir," greeted Fuuta politely. He did the same to the rest. Lal Mirch nodded her head in greeting and sat down. Dino eyed Fuuta with great interest. "Fuuta de la Stella…I've heard about you. You are the famed ranker, aren't you?" asked Dino. Fuuta smiled and nodded.

"Ranker? What does that mean?" asked Takeshi blurly. Beside him, Kaoru shook his head. "That means he ranks you according to your abilities you numbskull!" hissed Hayato. Takeshi nodded with interest. "Fuuta has ranked thousands of people. His abilities are very, very well known in the mafia world. If I'm not mistaken, he has been a victim of kidnapping a lot of times…" said Giotto. Fuuta laughed and nodded his head. "The main reason was because they all wanted this book…" said Fuuta as he pulled out a big brown book from beneath his jacket (causing everyone to wonder how it could actually fit). "I see…this is the famed ranking book I've been hearing. It is said that if anyone has a hold on this book, they could rule the world!" gasped G looking impressed.

"So that's why you wanted to bring him into hiding, Lal," said Giotto looking impressed. Lal Mirch nodded her head. "It would be bad if this book fell into the accursed Milliefiore's hands…" muttered Lal. Takeshi laughed and approached Fuuta.

"Come on, Fuuta! Let us see how you rank us! Rank one of us for instance!" said Takeshi excitedly. "Kufufu…this will be entertaining…" mused Mukuro eerily. Fuuta looked around and nodded. "Who should I rank first?" asked Fuuta as he looked around. "Rank Dino! This ought to be good!" grinned Hayato sadistically. Dino sighed. Everyone else nodded. Fuuta smiled.

"Alright then. Here I go!" said Fuuta as he stood up. "T-T-The chair! I-It's moving!" squeaked Shoichi as the chair beside him floated up. "W-We're floating too!" yelled Hayato looking shocked. He was right. Everyone was floating. "Incredible! It was true! I heard that if he ranked something, the gravity around him will become distorted and everything will float!" gasped Cozart. "GUARHH! EXTREME AIR SWIMMING!" roared Ryohei as he flapped his arms and legs. Koyo sighed. "My skirt…" muttered Chrome as she tried her best to hold it down. Mukuro and Daemon yawned as they sat cross-legged in the air. "This is fun, right dad?" called Takeshi happily. He waved at Asari who waved back, looking amused.

"L-Lambo!" said Rauji as he tried his best to hold the still passed out Lambo. Lampo looked terrified. Julie was now flirting shamelessly with Adelheid who looked rather pissed. Knuckle was punching the air. "You can't catch us, G!" yelled Giotto childishly as both he and Cozart laughed. G looked at them and rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he did not know why he was even friends with them. Dino was trying his best to cling onto the fridge. Lal Mirch was calmly strapping her gear onto her arm. Images of planets and galaxies appeared in Fuuta's eyes.

"This is Fuuta…I can hear you Ranking Planet…" said Fuuta in a dazed voice that sent chills down Giotto's spine. Fuuta turned slowly and looked at Dino. "Dino-nii is ranked 1 in 82263 when it comes to caring for his people which is good. He is also ranked third last when it comes to being able to take care of himself if his men aren't around…Dino-nii is also ranked 5 among 412343 when it comes to being a very good boss…" chanted Fuuta.

"Amazing…he's right on the dot!" muttered G. Giotto nodded. "Fuuta, do Hayato next!" called G as he grinned evilly at his son. Fuuta nodded. "Hayato-nii is ranked 20 among 1288457 when it comes to being short tempered…His bomb techniques are ranked 10 among 3425 which is actually better than the rest…Hayato-nii's rank in being Tsuna-nii's right hand man was 1 out of 6…" chanted Fuuta. Hayato sniffled. No 1 among the rest? What an honor. Fuuta turned to Giotto.

"Vongola Primo ranks 1 among 412343 when it comes to being a very good boss…He ranks 2 when it comes to being a popular person in Italy…However, he ranks dead last among 653424 when it comes to taking care of animals…This means the animal will most probably die…" said Fuuta as Giotto grinned sheepishly.

"GUARHH! MY TURN! HOW ABOUT ME?" roared Ryohei enthusiastically. Fuuta nodded. "Ryohei-nii ranks 1 among 54235 when it comes to being extreme when training…He also ranks 3 in the most potential to be a boxer…His memory though ranks 2134 among 2365 as he cannot remember anything for more than 10 minutes… Both he and Koyo-nii rank 354257 among 658746 in being idiots…" chanted Fuuta. "WHAT! HOLD ON ONE SECOND THERE! I'M WAY SMARTER THAN THIS IDIOT!" yelled Koyo as everyone else sniggered.

"Mukuro-nii and Daemon Spade rank 1 while Chrome-nii chan ranks 5 among 15469 when it comes to the most realistic illusions…Julie-nii ranks 20 among 90 when it comes to being the biggest pervert. Shimon Cozart and G rank 1 when it comes to Vongola Primo's best friends…Lampo and Lambo both rank 2 among 564 when it comes to becoming potential lightning controllers… Shitt.P is ranked 5 among 548 when it comes to being weird…Enma ranks 1 among 6 when it comes to being the next Shimon boss…Shoichi and Spanner both rank 3 among 4557846 in becoming Vongola's new mechanic…" chanted Fuuta.

"I always knew we were awesome illusionists…" sniffled Daemon proudly as he patted his son and daughter on the head. "Pervert…" hissed Adelheid as she looked at Julie who grinned sheepishly. "The most potential lightning rod has passed out…" sighed G as he looked at Lambo and Lampo. "This is great! Now I don't have to crack my head on the next Shimon boss! Great job, Enma!" cheered Cozart excitedly. Enma sighed.

"Hey, Fuuta! I want to ask you something!" grinned Giotto evilly. Fuuta turned and looked at him. "Who does G love the most?" asked Giotto as he grinned at G who glared back murderously at him. Fuuta smiled. "This is easy…let me see…G's loves his son the most…" chanted Fuuta as Hayato and G's face turned red. "Oya oya…Daddy's boy…" snickered Mukuro. "Shut up, pineapple head!" hissed Hayato. "This was a shock…I thought it would have been one of your best friends…" said Cozart sadly. Giotto joined him and nodded in fake sadness. "You both are lucky we're in the air or I would have killed the both of you…" muttered G.

"Nufufu…tell us, Fuuta…what does Primo like doing the best?" asked Daemon, an evil glint in his eyes. Fuuta smiled and nodded. "Ranking Star…I hear you…Vongola Primo loves….stalking all of his guardians…" said Fuuta confidently. Everyone gasped and looked at Giotto with wide eyes. "I understand we're best friends, Giotto but stalking is too much! If Alaude knew of this…" scolded G with a look of disgust in his eyes. "Tut tut, Primo…poor Tsuna…he had such a perverted dad…" said Daemon as he shook his head. Asari laughed. Knuckle shook his head. Cozart tried to hide his laughter by coughing. The children were edging themselves further from Giotto.

"B-But I-I-I…." stammered Giotto. This was all wrong. He had never once stalked anyone. Well, there was that one time where he did stalk Cozart but that was because he had a feeling his best friend was in danger and true enough, he managed to catch the person who was trying to assassinate his friend. Besides that, he had never stalked anyone else. He looked at Fuuta. Something had to be off. Lal Mirch shook her head.

"According to the Ranking Star, Asari Ugetsu loves Jirou the dog more than he loves his own son…" chanted Fuuta. "He loves the dog more?" asked G with disbelief. "I love Jirou more then I love Takeshi? I didn't know that…" said Asari with a slightly confused look on his face. Kaoru patted Takeshi's head. Takeshi laughed. "Shame on you, Asari…The poor child…" said Daemon as he looked away. "Would you like me to give Kojiro to you?" asked Takeshi with a smile. He didn't seem to be bothered.

"Knuckle has a high potential to be a chef. In fact, he ranked number 1 among 546789 other candidates…It is a very good career…" continued Fuuta. Giotto looked at G with horror on his face. The last time Knuckle had tried cooking, he had burnt down the whole kitchen and had given all of them severe diarrhea for a week. Ever since then, they all promised to NEVER let him cook ever again. "GUARHH! THAT'S MY UNCLE! AN AWESOME COOK! THIS IS EXTREME!" roared Ryohei proudly. Knuckle sniffled. He had never known he had such talent.

"Good morning, Vongola Primo and everyone else—AHH!" screamed Giannini as he walked in and saw everyone floating in the air. He rubbed his eyes and blinked again. "D-Did I forget something?" muttered Giannini. Giotto laughed and shook his head. "Fuuta's ranking," replied Lal Mirch. Understanding dawned upon Giannini's face and he nodded. "Though I don't think it's that accurate…" muttered G. Giannini nodded and laughed. "Of course not! Fuuta, it's raining today!" announced Giannini. Fuuta's eyes returned back to normal as everyone fell with a thud. "Rain? Oh I don't like rain…" whined Fuuta as he slumped onto his chair.

"So this means that whatever he said just now was wrong?" asked Giotto after Giannini explained why the rain affected Fuuta. Giannini nodded and Giotto breathed a sigh of relief. "I told you I don't stalk you guys…" muttered Giotto. "Well, it's nice knowing that Knuckle will not poison anyone from now on…" muttered G as he shook off his previous thoughts of Knuckle preparing dinner for everyone.

"Enough chit-chat! Primo, Fuuta and I will go out to look for more information! Come Fuuta, don't let the rain affect you!" ordered Lal. Fuuta stood up weakly and nodded. Giotto nodded. "Daemon, take your kids and follow her," said Giotto in a boss like tone. With an excited grin, Daemon nodded and disappeared with his children.

"Hey Enma…come here…both of us just discovered something…unbelievable…" whispered Shoichi, his eyes wide with disbelief as both he and Spanner stared at their computer screen. With a nod, Enma walked over. "What is it?" asked Enma. Shoichi pointed at the screen with a shaky finger. With a confused look on his face, Enma turned and looked at the screen. What he saw caused him to gasp. He was not expecting this.

"W-Whoa…I-If only Tsuna knew about this…" whispered Enma with disbelief written all over his face.

**WITH GIOTTO AND CO**

Giotto was examining the papers stacked on his desk while G reloaded his guns when the door burst open and the two skylarks walked in. Alaude and Kyoya were drenched with water. It was clear that they had been walking in the rain. "Alaude, Kyoya…what news do you bring?" asked Giotto, his eyes and voice serious. "But before that, go and change your clothes. You'll catch a cold this way," said Giotto. Alaude snorted. "I never catch a cold…" replied both father and son at the same time. Giotto sweatdropped.

"Okay then, what did you find out?" asked Giotto. Alaude pulled out a newspaper and threw it onto the desk. With wasting any time, Giotto picked it up and started reading. He had barely reached the third paragraph when he felt his blood boil. "I see…so someone attacked the mansion…do you know who its was?" asked Giotto even though he already knew the answer. Alaude nodded, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Byakuran of the Milliefiore. Even though the police still have no clue, I am 100% sure it was them. Kyoya even confirmed it for me," replied Alaude. He reached for his coat and pulled out a photo. "I took this when we went to have a look at the house..." said Alaude as he placed the photo on the desk. Giotto picked it up and looked at it. He was expecting to see the destruction of the house but what the picture showed was way more shocking.

"T-This is Tsuna's grave…" whispered Giotto. The picture showed that the earth had been recently dug out. There were even shovels left around. Alaude nodded grimly, his eyes even colder than before. Kyoya gripped his tonfa tightly. G growled. "Tsuna…" muttered Giotto as he clenched his fist. If he had to, he was going to barge into the Milliefiore to retrieve his son's body. "It was a good thing I transported the casket here when we moved," said Alaude coldly. Everyone looked at him. "You did what?" asked Giotto and G at the same time.

"I had a feeling something like this was going to happen and so, on the day we moved here, Kyoya and I dug the casket out carefully and buried it here again. If you want to know where it is, walk out of the base and turn left. You'll see a clearing there. That was where we buried Tsuna. Kyoya even decorated it nicely…" continued Alaude in a monotone voice. "After we dug out the casket, I put everything back to its original place so that everyone would think that Tsuna was still there…" said Alaude. Giotto looked at his cloud guardian with sparkling eyes. If he was allowed to, he would have given his guardian a hug. However, the look on Alaude's face prevented him from doing so.

"There's more…" said Alaude. He looked at his son and nodded. Kyoya walked up and dropped the recorder onto the table. With a frown, Giotto picked it up and played it. Everyone in the room listened carefully as the conversation between the two passer-by's played. When the conversation ended, Giotto frowned and folded his arms. "I knew it…Something inside of me told me that Byakuran was going to use our alliances to attack us…" muttered Giotto. So, among the hundreds of alliances he had formed, only two of them had decided not to betray them. How sad. No wonder Tsuna asked that they be protected. Giotto sighed. He had actually expected something like this to happen when he signed the alliance in the first place anyway.

"So it has started…Just as Uni predicted…Alaude, what happened to Giglio Nero?" asked G. "They are still around though the Milliefiore have set their eye on it. I don't know how long they will last…" replied Alaude coldly. Giotto frowned and nodded. "Thank you, Alaude, Kyoya. Please go and rest…" muttered Giotto. Alaude nodded and walked out of the room with Kyoya following behind.

"G, tell Asari, Knuckle and Lampo to go and aid the remaining Giglio Nero. My Hyper Intuition tells me that a great battle between Giglio Nero and the Milliefiore is about to begin…" ordered Giotto. G nodded and go up from his seat. "And tell them, to keep themselves hidden. It would be a pain if Byakuran knows we are still in Italy…" said Giotto. G nodded again and walked out of the room.

Giotto sat down again and looked at Tsuna's picture. Natsu, who had been sitting quietly on the floor looked up and whined. Giotto bent down and picked him up. "Come, Natsu…It's time we went and make Tsuna proud of us," said Giotto with a smile. Natsu purred in agreement and jumped back onto the floor. He then walked over to a cupboard and tapped his paw onto the door.

"What is it? Do you want me to open it?" asked Giotto. Natsu nodded. Curious, Giotto opened the cupboard. Natsu then pointed his head at a drawer and whined. "Okay, okay, I'll open it. I don't know what you're pointing to though…" muttered Giotto as he reached for a set of keys and unlocked the lock. He opened the drawer and his eyes widened by an inch. It was the box that contained the second set of Vongola Rings, the ones he had wanted to present to Tsuna during the ceremony. He took it out and opened it.

As he did, the rings glittered under the light. Giotto looked at them. He could spot the Storm, Rain, Lightning, Sun, Cloud and the two Mist Rings. The Sky Ring was missing as Giotto had buried it with Tsuna. Natsu purred and rubbed his head against Giotto's leg. "Are you telling me…to give them to the children?" asked Giotto. Natsu nodded. "B-But…h-how did you know?" asked Giotto with a look of disbelief. Natsu pointed his head at the picture of Tsuna on the table. Understanding dawned upon Giotto's face and he smiled.

"I see…Tsuna…you sure are smart…" whispered Giotto with a proud smile on his face. He then stood up and headed for the door. "Come, Natsu. We have a lot of training and explaining to do…" called Giotto. Natsu nodded his head and bounded off after his master.

The training was about to begin.

**DONE! This is by far my longest chapter for this story. I hope all of you review! Until then, CIAO CIAO!**

**P.S If you were wondering how they got their electronics, I'll just say that Shoichi and Spanner created them with Giannini. :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Hello everyone. First off, I am TERRIBLY sorry for not posting this chapter on Christmas day itself (Yes, today's chapter is an omake). This chapter is dedicated to Twelfth Legion and all my readers for suggesting and reviewing. :D Merry Christmas! (even though it's a little too late)**

**P.S If you did not read my previous story, you will not understand some parts in this chapter. **

Christmas Special/Omake

*This story takes place 7 years ago*

**FLASHBACK TO THE TIME WHEN TSUNA AND KYOYA WERE STILL ON THE STREETS.**

"Christmas? What's Christmas?" asked 6 year old Tsuna as he looked expectantly at his older brother Kyoya. Kyoya smiled one of his rare smiles and patted Tsuna's head gently. It was snowing and the only warmth the both of them got were from some clothes Kyoya had stolen from a house. It was almost Christmas time and the streets were decorated beautifully with all types of ornaments. Tsuna had gaped in awe when he woke up that morning to discover the street in that state.

"It's that time of the year where people get presents and when a huge stalker man in red breaks into our home to give us gifts," replied Kyoya bluntly. Tsuna's eyes widened. "H-Huge stalker man?" whispered Tsuna, his eyes filled with terror. Kyoya nodded. "Although, when I celebrated it with Brother Tetsu, I never saw that man…It's a shame…I would have bitten him to death." said Kyoya quietly, his eyes glinting evilly. Tsuna giggled. "There's more though, I heard that a man called Jack Floss or whatever his name was will come and vandalize our windows," continued Kyoya. "Jack Floss? He sounds terrible," gulped Tsuna. He sure didn't want to see the huge stalker man and Jack Floss.

"Kyoya-nii, tell me more about Christmas!" exclaimed Tsuna with excitement as the two boys walked along the street in the cold. Kyoya eyed his surroundings. People were greeting one another merrily. There were also children running around excitedly with whatever new toy they received. "Well, when I celebrated it with Brother Tetsu, he always cooked a special dinner and would give me a present. Then, we would go to the top of the hill and he would illegally start some fireworks…"replied Kyoya as he remembered his days with his elder brother. The last Christmas they celebrated together, Kusakabe had burnt a turkey and they ended up eating their bread with butter. Kyoya smiled.

"That sounds so fun…" sighed Tsuna enviously as he shivered. In all his life, he had never celebrated in his entire life due to the fact that his father was never at home and that his mother didn't seem to know that there was an occasion like that. He shivered again. Beside him, Kyoya had noticed this and had started removing his scarf and hat.

"Here, don't go catching a cold," said Kyoya as he wrapped the scarf around Tsuna and placed the over sized hat on his head. "B-B-But won't you feel cold, Kyoya-nii?" asked Tsuna worriedly. He had to admit though, he felt a lot better. Kyoya shook his head. "I'm immune to the cold," replied Kyoya as both he and Tsuna continued on the way. Tsuna smiled. After a few minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination. Kyoya had found a place to stay when it snowed a long time ago and had decided it was best if they moved for the time being.

"Tsuna, wait here. I'll go get us something to eat. Don't wander off," ordered Kyoya before leaving their 'home' Tsuna nodded obediently and started examining the place. It was warm and comfortable as Kyoya had made a small fire. He looked outside and sighed happily. The sight was to him, the most beautiful thing in the world. He thought the town looked beautiful with the snow covered roofs and the decorations. It was also a nice sight seeing everyone so happy and content. Unable to control himself, Tsuna decided to walk out for a while but promised himself that he would not walk far.

Pulling his hat down until it nearly covered his eyes, Tsuna timidly walked out of his 'home' and started wandering around. He looked around and gasped. The snow which had stopped a few minutes ago was starting again. Tsuna put his hand out. His mother had told him once that each snowdrop had its own unique shape but as he examined the snow closer, he could see nothing but a white lump of cold ice on his palm. With a shrug, he threw the lump of snow back onto the ground and carried on his walk while making sure that he could still see his 'home'.

After a few minutes of wandering, Tsuna decided it was time to return because it was getting colder. He also remembered that Kyoya was going to return soon. With that in his mind, Tsuna started his journey back. Unfortunately for him, he ran into trouble. "Hey, aren't you that kid?" said a rough voice which nearly stopped Tsuna's heart from beating. He looked behind him and to his horror, it was the bunch of bullies that Kyoya had beaten before. The leader of the gang frowned. "It is him. He's that guy with the boy who took us all out. Hehehe…boys, let's have our revenge…" said the man with a smile on his twisted face. Tsuna gulped as his friends agreed with smirks and started moving in closer.

Tsuna ran for his life. Behind him, he heard what seemed like a herd of elephants chasing him, yelling for him to stop. Tsuna looked behind. They were fast. The worst part was, the snow was slowing Tsuna down. He closed his eyes and ran forward. '_Kyoya-nii!' _thought Tsuna. Kyoya could have taken them out in a single blow. He looked back. He could see the leader smiling sadistically with his arms outstretched.

As Tsuna was paying more attention to the people chasing him, he hardly paid any attention to the people in front. Thanks to that, he slammed face first into somebody's stomach and nearly fell back before the person grabbed his arm and steadied him. "H-Hey, are you alright?" asked the man in a worried tone. Tsuna rubbed his face and looked behind him. Strange, the bullies were looking at the man with some sort of fear in their eyes. Tsuna nodded timidly. The man sighed in relief.

"It seems like he was being chased by these boys, Giotto. Should I take care of them?" asked another man's voice. Tsuna heard the sound of a gun being clicked and felt his spine go cold. Were this bad people? The man named Giotto sighed. "G, put the gun down. Look at what you've done. They ran off as soon as you pulled that gun out. Now we have to find them," muttered Giotto. His friend snorted. Not daring to look up, Tsuna looked at the snow below him. What a good thing he was wearing a hat. He had to run.

"What a poor child. I wonder why he was chased," said Giotto with pity in his voice. "Let go of his arm and ask him then," sighed the man named G. Giotto nodded and released his grip. As soon as he did, Tsuna took off as fast as he could. He could hear them calling him but he didn't care. He was scared and wanted to go 'home'. When he did, Kyoya gave him a long lecture after listening to what happened to him. According to Kyoya, he had been worrying about Tsuna ever since he had returned and was just about to go out and look for him. After getting Tsuna to promise never to do something like that again (something Tsuna did wholeheartedly), Kyoya gave him his Christmas gift and something to eat, all of Tsuna's previous encounters forgotten. That was Tsuna's first Christmas.

"I wonder why he ran away…" muttered Giotto as he and G walked back to their home. G shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe your face is scary," said G with an evil grin. "Yeah right. He didn't even look at my face. I don't even know how he looks like. His face was covered by his hat the whole time!" grumbled Giotto. "What does it matter? It's not like you're going to bump into him again!" sighed G. Giotto nodded and both he and G forgot about the whole incident.

**CHRISTMAS DAY 7 YEARS AGO IN THE VONGOLA MANSION**

"OH MY GOSH! I just remembered! It's Christmas tomorrow!" exclaimed Giotto unexpectedly as he whacked his forehead. Everyone in the room stopped and stared at him. His guardians shook their heads in disappointment. "Nufufu…how terrible of you, Giotto. How could you forget? We've all gotten our gifts for the children," smirked Daemon as he pulled out a sack of gifts from nowhere. "Really, Giotto. How could you forget about Christmas when our own home is decorated with Christmas decorations?" sighed G as he shook his head disapprovingly. Giotto winced and scratched his head. For the past one week, he had been so busy dealing with other mafia families that Christmas or any other occasions had been forgotten.

"Have all of you bought gifts for the kids?" asked Giotto with a look on his face that said 'I sure hope you didn't'. Unfortunately for him, all his other guardians nodded their heads. "I bought mine last month because I thought Christmas was in November," laughed Asari. "Idiot," muttered G as he shook his head. Alaude nodded curtly and went back to looking at his papers. "Primo, you're such a terrible father. Tsuna will be so disappointed," said Lampo boredly as he plopped onto the couch lazily. Giotto looked helplessly at his guardians.

"It's all right, Primo. I'm sure Tsuna will understand if you explain it to him," said Knuckle, his face wise and understanding. "Knuckle…" started Primo. This was shocking. Of all the guardians, Knuckle was the one trying to comfort him. Maybe Knuckle had changed.

"AND THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD MAKE TSUNA RUN A HUNDRED TIMES AROUND THE TOWN AS A GIFT! I'M SURE HE WOULD LOVE IT!" roared Knuckle, causing Giotto to push away all the positive thoughts he was thinking about him. Why did he not see this coming? Giotto sighed and looked helplessly at the ceiling. This would be children's first Christmas with them and he was going to disappoint them.

"Okay, jokes aside. Giotto, Daemon here has a rather foolish idea. It's no surprise since he is a fool and I'm going to tell you about it," said G calmly. Behind him, Daemon was already glaring daggers at G. "He was suggesting that he would willingly dress up as Santa Claus and climb down the chimney for the kids. He also suggested that it would be interesting if we drew pictures on the window like whats-his-name, Jack Frost," continued G.

Everyone in the room eyed Daemon suspiciously. The Daemon they knew was nothing like this. Giotto coughed awkwardly. "I-I see…Why the sudden enthusiasm, Daemon?" asked Giotto. "Nufufu…I just thought it would have been a great experience for my dear Chrome since Mukuro told me she has never celebrated Christmas before," said Daemon proudly. Giotto and G looked at each other and shrugged. Asari and Knuckle were nodding their heads enthusiastically. This seemed fun. Alaude was still looking at his papers. Lampo was already snoring away on the couch.

"S-Sure. I think this will be a nice experience for the kids," said Giotto. Daemon grinned sadistically. "Nufufu….excellent! In that case, Lampo will be Santa Claus. We'll just watch from afar," said Daemon as he looked evilly at the still snoring Lampo. "But didn't you just say you were willing to dress up like Santa Claus?" asked Giotto. His Hyper Intuition was telling him that something was going to happen. Daemon shook his head. "Nufufu….of course not. I don't want to look silly in a costume like that," replied Daemon with a chuckle. Giotto sweat dropped. This was going to be an interesting night.

**TSUNA'S ROOM**

"K-Kyoya-nii, is that fat stalker man and Jack Floss going to c-come and v-visit us tonight?" gulped Tsuna fearfully. Beside him, Kyoya nodded seriously. "That's what Brother Tetsu said. He said they will come at 12 midnight every Christmas eve. This is good…I will bite them to death…" grinned Kyoya sadistically. Tsuna gulped.

"What are you talking about, Tsuna? Is an assassin coming tonight?" asked Hayato, his eyes alert. Tsuna shook his head. "That's not it, Hayato. Kyoya-nii says that every Christmas eve, a fat stalker man and a man named Jack Floss will come and do terrible things to us!" whispered Tsuna. His siblings gasped. "Kufufu…are you sure Kyoya is right? He could have been hallucinating…" said Mukuro with his evil grin. Kyoya glared at him.

"I don't think Kyoya's lying. I think my dad did mention this once," said Takeshi thoughtfully. "GUARHHH! IN THAT CASE, WE MUST CHALLENGE HIM TO A BOXING MATCH!" roared Ryohei enthusiastically. "Why would you invite him for a boxing match you stupid lawn head?" asked Hayato, his temper rising. "Well, he could be an extremely passionate boxer for all you know unlike you, octopus head!" replied Ryohei stubbornly. "Why you…" growled Hayato as Takeshi held him back with his usual smile.

"L-Lambo-sama d-doesn't like f-f-fat stalker m-man…" whimpered Lambo as he hid behind Tsuna fearfully. "Big brother, will we get hurt?" asked Chrome worriedly. Mukuro smiled and shook his head. "Kufufu…of course not, Chrome. I will make sure he won't," said Mukuro, his trident glinting evilly in the light.

"Tsuna, this 'fat stalker man' sounds awfully like an assassin. Don't worry! I'll never ever let you get assassinated! I think all of us should sleep over in Tsuna's room to make sure we get this assassin!" yelled Hayato enthusiastically. "Sounds extremely fun! I can challenge him to a match!" roared Ryohei. Takeshi nodded his head happily. "I don't like crowding…" muttered Kyoya before leaving the room. "Kufufu…I agree….let's all stay over in Tsuna's room for the night…" said Mukuro eerily. Chrome nodded. "Gyahahaha! Lambo-sama will sleep over in Tsuna's room!" laughed Lambo as he ran out of the room.

Tsuna smiled. This was going to be the first time he was going to celebrate Christmas with his whole family. It was something he had been looking forward to for a long time. He looked out the window and smiled contently. The snow was as beautiful as ever.

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

"Didn't you say you hated crowding, Kyoya?" hissed Hayato as all of them squashed together on Tsuna's bed. Chrome, being a girl, went over to Tsuna's couch and made herself comfortable. "Shut up before I bite you to death!" threatened Kyoya tonfa's in hand. "Why are you sleeping with your weapons?" asked Takeshi amused. "Kufufu…is its weapons you're wondering about, I have one too," said Mukuro as he whipped out his trident. "EVERYBODY EXTREMELY KEEP IT DOWN! I'M TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!" roared Ryohei. Tsuna sighed. Lambo was already sleeping. Finally, everything was silent.

"You idiot! Stop slapping me while you sleep!" hissed Hayato angrily at a sheepish looking Takeshi. "I'm sorry, Hayato! I have a terrible sleeping habit," replied Takeshi. All was silent again. "Stop crossing the line, pineapple head. Do you want me to bite you to death?" snarled Kyoya as he whipped out his tonfa. Mukuro whipped his trident out. "Kufufu…do you want to die, Kyoya?" chuckled Mukuro. "SHUDDUP!TSUNA'S TRYING TO REST!" yelled Hayato. The two boys glared at each other but kept their weapons. All was silent again.

At around 12 midnight, a strange sound was heard. It sounded as though someone was walking in the hallway. Kyoya snapped his eyes open and sat up. "Kufufu…I see you heard that too, Kyoya," chuckled Mukuro eerily. He was already standing by the door with his trident raised. Kyoya nodded. "Kyoya-nii…Mukuro-nii…what's wrong?" asked Tsuna sleepily. "He's here, Tsuna. That big fat stalker man is here," whispered Kyoya. Tsuna's eyes widened in shock, all sleepiness forgotten.

Something scratched on the windows, causing all of them to jump. "Who's there?" hissed Hayato as he jumped out of bed with his dynamite in hand. The scratching continued. All of them looked at the window. It was snowing heavily outside and someone wearing thick winter clothes was carving something on the window. "I-It's Jack Floss! He's here!" whispered Tsuna in fright. "We should extremely ask him to fight us!" whispered Ryohei enthusiastically,

Kyoya frowned, opened the window and jumped out. The person who was carving on the window took off as fast as he could with Kyoya right behind him. "K-Kyoya-nii!" called Tsuna worriedly. The footsteps outside stopped in front of his room and Tsuna yelped. "Kufufu…everyone keep it down. We'll ambush him when he enters, alright?" whispered Mukuro. Everyone else nodded. Hayato pulled out his dynamite. "Coming in to assassinate Tsuna, eh? I'll kill you," muttered Hayato. Chrome pulled out her weapon. Ryohei raised his fist. Natsu growled. The door slowly opened.

"CAUGHT YOU!" yelled Hayato while throwing his mini dynamite. Mukuro and Chrome raised their weapons and whacked the intruder on the head. "AHHH!" screamed the intruder as he received the blows. "Hm…that scream sounds extremely familiar," said Ryohei suspiciously. He looked at their intruder who was dressed in red and carrying a large sack. "Is this the big fat stalker man? He looks awfully thin," muttered Hayato while scratching his head. Tsuna approached him and looked at his face.

"Uncle Lampo? You're the big fat stalker man?" gasped Tsuna in shock. "Uncle Lampo? This is that idiot?" asked Hayato who was already beside Tsuna. "Kufufu…what a surprise…" chuckled Mukuro. "He fainted…" muttered Chrome worriedly. "That sure was noisy…" yawned Takeshi as he stretched and sat up. He walked over to Tsuna and looked at their intruder. "Were you guys playing?" asked Takeshi innocently. Tsuna sighed.

"Nufufu…and this is why I suggested we use Lampo. I knew this was going to happen…" came an eerie voice. Tsuna and his siblings looked at the door and in walked Daemon, Knuckle, Asari, G and Giotto. "That was mean, Daemon…" muttered Giotto. Still, he had to admit. What the children did was impressive.

"Papa! Kyoya-nii ran off after that Jack Floss person and he hasn't returned yet!" said Tsuna worriedly. Giotto smiled and patted his head. "Jack Floss? Who's Jack Floss?" asked G looking confused. "Kyoya-nii said that his brother told him that it was a man who vandalized windows," said Tsuna fearfully. "Tsuna, it's not Jack Floss. It's Jack Frost. He's not dangerous at all. All he does is draw nice fern like pictures on your window," said Giotto gently.

"F-Fern like pictures?" asked Tsuna. Giotto nodded. "B-But…" muttered Tsuna looking confused. At that moment, Kyoya and Alaude walked in. "Kyoya, did you manage to get this Jack Frost person?" asked Giotto looking amused. Kyoya shook his head. "I chased him all the way to the gate but he disappeared there. Father was there though…" replied Kyoya coldly. "Don't worry, he'll never come back…" added Alaude, his eyes equally cold. Giotto grinned and nodded in agreement.

"And that settles it. Come on. Even though its twelve midnight, I think it'll be alright if we went to the living room and opened the gifts we got for you," announced Giotto. "Yay, presents!" cheered Lambo who had miraculously slept through the drama but awoke when he heard the word 'gifts'. Pretty soon, everybody had piled out of the room.

"Wait, Tsuna. I'll give you your gift now," said Giotto with a smile as he produced a box from beneath his cloak and handed it to Tsuna. "Thank you, Papa!" said Tsuna happily. He carefully opened the box and pulled out a pair of mittens with the number 27 written on the both of them. There was also a pair of headphones and a small container of dying will flame pills in the box.

"I had these specially made for you thanks to Talbot (who did it in a day). I heard the pair you got from that Arcobaleno baby was lost after the fight with the Corvino," said Giotto as he looked at Tsuna's happy face. "Thanks Papa! Now I can train with you!" said Tsuna eagerly. Natsu purred happily as he rubbed his face on Tsuna's leg.

"I'm glad you like them. Now, let's go join your siblings! I heard G bought Hayato some type of dangerous weapon!" said Giotto excitedly as he picked his son up and exited the room.

**I'm done. I'm so sorry it's short. I would have written longer if I had the time. Please review.**

**Since this will be the last week before my school starts again, I'll try my hardest to update every single day! Once again, I'm sorry this was not up during Christmas. **

**Until then, ciao!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

Chapter 6: Terrible News

"You're giving us the Vongola Rings?" asked Takeshi and Hayato with wide eyes. Beside them, Ryohei, Lambo and Kyoya were also eyeing Giotto with questioning looks. Giotto nodded seriously. "I think it's time we taught all of you on how to use the ring," replied Giotto. "But of course, what you're receiving is only a temporary ring which means it contains only half the power of the original. Even so, it's still very powerful," said Alaude coldly as he stepped into the training room with Cozart. Giotto nodded and pulled out the box from his pocket.

"But why now?" asked Hayato, his eyes still wide with disbelief. It had always been his dream to receive the Vongola Ring and serve Tsuna as his right hand man. Giotto's eyes hardened. "Alaude came back from spying on the outside world yesterday and I'll tell all of you because you need to know. The enemy has started making a move, just like what Tsuna and Uni predicted. They attacked the mansion and for some reason, they dug up Tsuna's grave," said Giotto gravely as he showed the picture Alaude had taken. Hayato hissed angrily, his hands clenched into a fist. Takeshi looked at the picture with eyes that would have made a grown man pee in his pants. Ryohei growled. Lambo whimpered. Cozart looked disgusted.

"But Alaude and Kyoya were one step ahead of them. They moved Tsuna's grave when we moved and placed a decoy back home," said Giotto as he nodded his head thankfully at Alaude and Kyoya. "Your fathers are providing back up for Giglio Nero at the moment and while they do that, your task is to try and ignite the ring," continued Giotto.

"The ring will play a very important role in future. If you happen to come across an enemy, your ring will be your only hope of survival. Cozart has already given Enma and his siblings their rings," said Giotto. Cozart nodded cheerfully. "I sure did. Though they're having a hard time igniting it right now…" sighed Cozart as he scratched his head.

Giotto nodded. "As you've heard what Cozart said, igniting the ring is no easy task. You need to have resolve, a lot of resolve," said Giotto as he pulled out a poorly drawn chart that showed how their resolve lit the ring. "But how would you know whether our resolve is strong enough to light the rings?" asked Takeshi. Giotto smiled and nodded at Alaude who sighed. He then held up his index finger where his Cloud Ring was.

"Now watch carefully and look at the differences between a strong resolve and a weak one," ordered Giotto. Everybody eyed Alaude's ring carefully. This was one lesson they did not want to miss. With a look that said 'I'll kill you after this for suggesting it, Primo' written on Alaude's face, he lit his ring.

To Hayato, this was something he had never seen before. A purple flame that looked like it was spilling out from the ring was not something you saw every day. Upon taking a closer look, Hayato noticed that only the core of the flame was purple. The rest of it was a very paled violet colour. It also looked somewhat unstable. Hayato could hear gasps of awe from his other siblings. Even Cozart seemed impressed. A few minutes later, the flames flickered and died away. Throughout the whole process, Alaude did not even blink.

"And now, the weaker flame," drawled Alaude's cold voice. He lit up the ring again but this time, it was not as impressive as before. The flame was small and dull. Kyoya yawned and the flame extinguished.

"By having these rings, you will find that using them in your techniques will be very, very useful," said Alaude. He eyed the children one last time before leaning once more on against the metal wall. Giotto nodded. He opened the box and held it up for the children to see. "There's nothing else to say. Now all of you need to ignite your rings. When that is done, we'll move on to the second step," instructed Giotto. The children nodded.

"Hayato, like G, you will take the Storm ring. Good luck," said Giotto as he handed the Storm ring to Hayato who started examining it as soon as he held it.

"Takeshi, follow in Asari's footsteps and pretty soon, you'll be able to light it up," said Giotto. Takeshi nodded and accepted the ring. He then placed it on his index finger and started admiring it.

"Ryohei, make Knuckle proud," said Giotto. "GUARHH! OF COURSE I WILL!" roared Ryohei as he placed the ring on his finger and started his best to light it up.

"Kyoya, you can ask Alaude for advice if you need any," said Giotto as he pointed at Alaude who was yawning boredly. "Hn…" replied Kyoya before accepting the ring and leaving the room with his father. Both of them still hated crowding.

"Lambo, please don't follow what Lampo did. He only managed to light his ring up when he was surrounded by the enemy," sighed Giotto worriedly. Lambo nodded nervously and looked at the ring. Truthfully, he had no desire whatsoever to join in the fight. "This is a trial all of you have to face alone. Good luck," said Giotto before he walked out with Cozart who waved his hand merrily and shut the door.

"Oh right! We need to send these two rings to the twins!" said Giotto as he smacked his head and ran for the entrance door with Cozart behind him. Once at the door, Giotto punched in code and the door opened slowly, revealing the bright sunlight outside. He then snapped his fingers and a few minutes later, a snow white owl swooped through the trees and landed on his shoulder. Cozart whistled in amusement.

"Mukurowl, I'm entrusting these two rings to you. Make sure you find Mukuro and Chrome and give these to them. Daemon will know what to do then, you understand?" asked Giotto as he secured the two rings on the owl's leg. Mukurowl hooted and in no time, he flew off with the two men watching him.

**IN THE TRAINING ROOM**

"Don't worry Tsuna! I'll master this in a second!" yelled Hayato determinedly as he concentrated. He tried lighting up the ring. Nothing happened. Hayato cursed and tried again. Nothing happened. "You stupid ring! Light up already!" hissed Hayato impatiently. Beside him, Takeshi was not doing any better. "GUARHHH! LIGHT! LIGHT! LIGHT!" roared Ryohei as he shook his hand aggressively. Lambo looked at his ring and concentrated. A few minutes later, a small flame appeared and then disappeared again. Lambo sighed. He was far too lazy to continue.

"LIGHT UP DARN IT!" yelled Hayato angrily. 30 minutes had passed and he was not having any luck. Was his resolve too low? He frowned and looked at his other siblings. Ryohei was still yelling at his ring to work. Takeshi was scratching his head with a confused look on his face. Lambo had given up all hope and was now snoring on the ground. Hayato gritted his teeth and tried again. This time for sure.

He frowned. It had to be his resolve. Maybe it was not enough to light the ring up. He frowned and started thinking hard. Why did he want to ignite his ring? If protecting his family wasn't the answer, then what was? '_Come on Hayato. I'm supposed to understand myself,' _thought Hayato with a frown. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind. The first thing that flew to his mind was going to be the answer. Sweat dripped down his face. Just a little more and he would get his answer.

"OI OCTOPUS HEAD! WHY ARE YOU SQUATTING LIKE THAT? DO YOU FEEL LIKE POOPING?" asked Ryohei's loud voice, breaking his concentration. A vein in Hayato's head twitched. "YOU IDIOT! I WAS ALMOST THERE! SHUT UP!" yelled Hayato back as he snapped his eyes shut again and started concentrating.

'_The ceremony. I'm thinking about the ceremony…the day Tsuna was killed,' _thought Hayato as his frowned deepened. His brain went into thinking mode. An image of Byakuran flashed into his mind. His eyes snapped open. He looked at his ring again. "This time for sure!" yelled Hayato as he thought of his resolve. Incredibly, a red flame appeared, just like it did with Alaude's. "I DID IT!" roared Hayato happily.

"Amazing! How did you do it, Hayato?" asked Takeshi with an impressed expression. "Teach us! Teach us to the extreme!" roared Ryohei excitedly. Hayato grinned proudly. If only Tsuna and his father could see him now. "Both you numbskulls lack resolve," said Hayato seriously. Ryohei and Takeshi looked blurly at him. "Resolve? What's that?" asked Ryohei. Hayato's eyes nearly popped out. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT'S THAT?' WEREN'T YOU LISTENING WHEN UNCLE GIOTTO WAS EXPLAINING?" yelled Hayato. Ryohei laughed. "I DID BUT I EXTREMELY FORGOT WHAT HE SAID!" yelled Ryohei back. "I thought he was talking about solving puzzles! My bad!" laughed Takeshi.

Hayato growled. "You idiots…Listen up while I explain again!" roared Hayato as he pulled out a chalkboard and started writing down formula's. After a rather long explanation, he made Ryohei and Takeshi try again. Lambo on the other hand, continued sleeping on the floor, oblivious to his surroundings.

"Tell us, Hayato. What was your resolve?" asked Takeshi as he wiped his sweat from his forehead. Hayato was silent for a few minutes before he said "To kill the man who killed Tsuna." Takeshi nodded seriously and went back to his own ring.

"GUARHH! I GOT IT!" roared Ryohei happily. Hayato and Takeshi whipped around to look at Ryohei. True enough, a yellow flame with small dotted sparkles surrounded his ring. "EXTREME!" roared Ryohei. "Looks like I'm the only one left! I'm going to try my hardest now!" laughed Takeshi as he focused his concentration on his ring. He closed his eyes and a few minutes later, his ring was surrounded by blue flames that looked like rippling water. He grinned and did a thumbs up.

"What about Lambo?" asked Ryohei. Hayato snorted. "Leave him be! Let's go tell Uncle Giotto about this!" yelled Hayato excitedly as he ran out of the room.

**A FEW MINUTES LATER**

"Impressive…I did not expect any of you to progress this much. Enma and the rest are still struggling with theirs…" said Giotto as he nodded his head. He clapped his hands together and smiled. "Alright then! Let's start our next training session. Unfortunately for all of you, as I was not expecting all of you to finish this in an hour, I cannot progress with the next stage," said Giotto with a sigh. "Why?" asked Hayato in despair. He had been so fired up.

"Well, you see. The next stage includes your fathers. This means they will be your tutors. Since they have the same flames as you guys, they should know what to teach all of you. But as you know, they're on a mission now…" replied Giotto. The three kids nodded in disappointment. Hayato growled. "Ryohei, I can teach you something useful though," said Giotto.

"WHAT IS IT?" yelled Ryohei excitedly. "Sun flames are said to be able to heal injuries which will be very useful when a battle happens," said Giotto. Ryohei looked at his flames in amazement. "Heal injuries?" repeated Ryohei. Giotto nodded and produced a scalpel from his pocket. "Here, I think this will be pretty useful to you. Knuckle gave it to me. It's a scalpel that can absorb the dying will flame," said Giotto. Ryohei took it and examing it with a confused expression.

"Tch! If that's all there is for today, I'll be visiting Tsuna's grave…" said Hayato before walking out of the room with his hands in his pocket.

**MILLIEFIORE HEADQUARTERS**

"Hm? You've still not found their headquarters, Iris-chan, Gingerbread-chan?" asked a man with spiky white hair as he opened a new packet of marshmallows and started consuming them. A woman with puffy brown hair bowed low in apology. "Forgive me, Byakuran-sama. We've already informed the townsfolk and the mafia's to aid us but so far, no one has found their base. Do not worry. We will find them," said Iris Hepburn. Her partner, Gingerbread nodded. Byakuran smiled and nodded his head.

"Did you find Tsunayoshi-kun's body or the things in his coffin?" asked Byakuran happily. Gingerbread shook his head. "I'm sorry Byakuran-sama. We were tricked. The Vongola must have known this would happen and they removed the coffin before us," said Gingerbread sadly. Byakuran sighed in disappointment. "May I ask, Byakuran-sama?" started Iris curiously. Byakuran shook his head. "I cannot tell you why, Iris-chan. It's a secret," replied Byakuran mysteriously.

"How about Giglio Nero? Have you destroyed their base?" asked Byakuran as he opened a second packet of marshmallows and started consuming them. The boy named Gingerbread grinned mischievously. "The fight has already started but we know they have no chance of surviving. What a pathetic way to end their miserable lives," laughed Gingerbread gleefully. "Any sign of Uni-chan?" asked Byakuran suddenly. Iris and Gingerbread looked at each other. "No. She's disappeared for good," said Iris apologetically. The empty packet of marshmallows crumpled onto the ground. "Disappeared eh? Uni-chan will come to me. Don't you worry…" said Byakuran with a smile on his face.

"In the meantime, the both of you should go and look for the Vongola base. Without Vongola Primo's ring, my ring and Uni-chan's pacifier will be useless," said Byakuran as he opened the third packet of marshmallows. Both Iris and Gingerbread nodded and saluted before leaving the room.

"Oh, Iris-chan~! Can you do me a favor?" asked Byakuran cheerfully. "What is it, Byakuran-sama?" asked Iris dutifully. Byakuran smiled and held up his marshmallow packet. "Buy me a few more packets, will you?" said Byakuran. Iris nodded and walked out of the room.

"Byakuran-sama! I have two things to report to you," said a woman in pink hair with a black mask that hid her face. She was followed by another woman that looked exactly like her. "Cervello-chans! What a pleasure!" sang Byakuran happily. Both women smiled as they approached him with small electronic devices in their hands.

"The first news is that the Arcobaleno Colonello and Viper/Mammon has been found in the western part of Italy. What are your orders?" asked the woman. Byakuran smiled sadistically. "Arcobaleno eh? This should be fun! Release it!" said Byakuran as he chewed on his marshmallows. The two Cervello women looked at each other and back to him. "Do you mean _that_?" asked the both of them. Byakuran nodded. "We understand. We will do it right away," bowed the women. "Excellent! Now, what's the second news?" asked Byakuran as he opened the fourth packet of marshmallows.

"It's regarding Vongola Primo and his 'family', the children I mean. We discovered something interesting about them," said one of the women. She then gave the electronic device she was holding to him. While gulping down his marshmallows, Byakuran looked at what was written on the screen and his eyes widened by an inch. His mouth curved into a grin.

"How surprising, Vongola Primo. This is interesting!" laughed Byakuran. He turned to the two Cervello women and smiled brightly as he opened his fifth packet of marshmallows and started eating again.

**BACK TO THE VONGOLA**

"QUICK! OPEN THE DOOR!" yelled a voice as someone slammed on the door of the base. "Giannini, open the door! They're here!" yelled Giotto as he ran for the door. "Understood, Primo!" called Giannini. He pressed a button and the door slowly opened. In ran Knuckle, G, Asari, Lampo and some men from Giglio Nero. All of them looked flustered and were panting heavily. The door closed again.

"You're all alright," sighed Giotto in relief. He looked at his guardians. All of his guardians looked angry, including Asari. Giotto frowned. Something must have happened. "G, what's wrong?" asked Giotto seriously. G looked at him and shook his head.

"Giglio Nero was already in ruins when we reached there. Half of the men were dead. The ones still alive were fighting for their lives. We started helping them of course but all of a sudden, we were betrayed," said G, his eyes dark. "Betrayed? By who?" asked Giotto. "A man named Genkishi. He caught us by surprise. He was a very powerful illusionist. If Daemon was there, we would have had a chance. These three were the only survivors," said G as he pointed at Gamma, Nozaru and Tozaru who were looking angry.

"I'm sorry, Primo. In order to escape, we had to reveal ourselves a little. That man, Genkishi saw us. I think Byakuran would have already known we are still in Italy," growled G angrily. Giotto patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. "It's alright, G. As long as he doesn't know the location of our base, we're still safe," said Giotto with a smile. He turned to his other guardians and his guests. "Go and rest. All of you must be tired," ordered Giotto. Gamma growled. "Rest? I need to go out there and hunt that &^%$% down!" yelled Gamma angrily.

"I understand how you feel but you're all tired. If you meet him now, you'll most probably die in combat. Don't worry, you'll have you chance to fight him!" said Giotto firmly. Gamma stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Nozaru, Tozaru. He's right. Let's go and rest," muttered Gamma. His two subordinates nodded. Giotto smiled. "Great! Go straight and turn left. You'll find an empty room there. Make yourselves comfortable!" called Giotto.

"OPEN THE DOOR! HURRY! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" yelled a familiar voice. Giannini opened the door and in rushed Fuuta, Daemon and Mukuro. All three of them were carrying someone who was lying on a stretcher. None of them looked happy. "Daemon! Who got hurt?" asked Giotto as he rushed over to the scene. He looked at the stretcher and his eyes widened. It was Lal Mirch and she was out cold. Her body was bleeding all over. She had a tube attached to her arm and someone had placed a breathing device. "QUICK! BRING HER TO THE MEDICAL ROOM!" yelled Knuckle as he started his healing process.

"Fuuta! What happened to her?" asked Giotto in a panicked voice. Fuuta looked grim and tears were flowing down his cheek. "We were gathering intelligence when we bumped into a man with dark purplish-pink hair and glasses who was working for the Milliefiore. Lal immediately engaged into battle but mid-way, she just collapsed like she was unable to move at all. She started screaming in pain. I think I heard the man say it was due to the anti Tri-Ni-Sette radiation rays. Even though she was down, he continued attacking her," said Fuuta as his hands shook.

"Just as he was about to kill her, he was summoned back by Byakuran. Before he left, he said…." muttered Fuuta. He bit his lip as his hands shook. "Said what? What did he say?" asked Giotto. Everyone else looked at him. Fuuta closed his eyes.

"He said the Arcobaleno Colonello and Viper were…dead. Lal was shocked beyond words," said Fuuta. The whole room went silent. Everyone stared at him with disbelief in their eyes. Dead? "After that, I carried Lal and ran back here as soon as I could. I met Daemon halfway and he provided us the medical supplies…" finished Fuuta quietly. "But weren't the Arcobaleno missing?" whispered G, his eyes filled with anger. Giotto shrugged his shoulders. He was seething with anger.

"Unforgivable…how much damage does that Byakuran plan to do?" hissed Asari angrily. Even though he was someone who rarely got angry, he agreed that this man was a devil. Before anyone could answer, the door slammed open and Daemon and Mukuro rushed out of the medical room, their eyes filled with panic and worry.

"Primo! W-We've got to go now!" yelled Daemon as he grabbed Giotto by the shoulders. "D-Daemon! W-What's wrong?" asked Giotto in surprise. This was the first time he had ever seen his Mist Guardian act so…panicked. Mukuro growled and was already heading for the door.

"It's Chrome…we were separated from each other and she's out there alone about to face a high class Milliefiore soldier called Glo Xinia!" roared Daemon. The whole room was silent. This was terrible.

**DONE! How was it? The next chapter will be Chrome and Hayato in battle. Please review! My next update will be on Saturday! Until then, CIAO!:D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**HAPPY NEWS YEAR EVE! I can't believe it's going to be 2012 in a few more hours. Time really moves too fast which sometimes does not mean a good thing. This means we're all getting older. =.=. Oh well, as a starters, I'm going to say thank you to all my readers for reading and reviewing 'Just Like The Sky' and 'The Unexpected Future'. I didn't really expect a lot of readers when I first started the story. THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU!XD **

**Hm…for this chapter, I just wanted to say that I did not really follow the original story here. I kinda changed here and there. You were warned.**

**And so, without any further comments, here's Chapter 7!**

Chapter 7: The Milliefiore and the Vongola Rings

Chrome was running with her trident tightly clutched in her hands. She looked around, searching for a place where she could face her opponent without attracting attention to herself. A bullet whizzed by her head by a few inches, causing her to nearly trip and fall. She looked back, her pursuer was still a far distance away. Chrome bit her lip just as an idea popped into her head. She did know of a place where no one would know.

What was Chrome doing running around all by herself with a pursuer close behind in the first place you ask? It all started when she followed her father and brother to gather intelligence. The three of them had planned before hand on what disguise to use on the outside world and at first, everything went well. That is until a mafia family decided to pick a fight with another mafia family and then started whipping out all types of weapons.

As the three illusionists were trying their best to escape the chaos, someone threw a grenade causing Chrome to separate from her family. As Daemon and Mukuro were yelling frantically for her, Chrome saw something that made her heart beat faster. The fight had attracted the attention of the Milliefiore guards and they were now trying their best to stop the fight.

Chrome looked at her father and brother who were still looking for her. In the midst of confusion, they had released the illusion of their disguises. If the Milliefiore guards saw them now, it would probably mean the end for them. Without any hint of hesitation, Chrome took out her weapon and tapped the ground hard. She was using her illusions to hide her family from the Milliefiore guards, something she was very good at doing.

Unfortunately for her, using that large amount of energy meant her removing the illusion of her disguise and at that moment, a Milliefiore guard so happened to look at her direction.

"VONGOLA! THAT GIRL IS FROM THE VONGOLA! GET HER!" yelled the guard. Chrome felt everyone's eyes bore into her.

"Vongola? You mean the Vongola Family? Oh ho! Byakuran-sama said he would reward us with a lot of gold if we caught one alive! Let's get her!" whispered a man as he clicked his gun.

Without wasting any time, Chrome tapped her trident on the ground again and this time, she disappeared, causing uproar among the Milliefiore guards and the two Mafia families who had suddenly forgot the reason they were fighting.

"Call the higher-up's and report this to them! Tell them to send in Glo Xinia! She's an illusionist!" yelled a guard. His companion nodded and whipped out his electronic device.

Another bullet whizzed by her face as Chrome ran towards her destination. _'Blue flames?' _thought Chrome in surprise as she slammed open the door and ran into the building. She looked around and shuddered. Truthfully, she had never wanted to return to this place, not after she was saved from their horrid experiments again. The jars filled with organs and other disgusting objects were still in place, covered with dust after all these years. Even the experimental chair filled with dried blood was still in place.

Not wanting to remember the past, Chrome ran up the stairs and into the room. She held her weapon up, waiting nervously for the enemy. She didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, the door burst open and a man walked in. He had dark purple-pinkish hair and wore a pair of pointy spectacles. His white uniform bore the logo of the Milliefiore family. He was looking at Chrome with a perverted smile.

"To think, I thought my job today was just to eliminate that failed Arcobaleno but instead, I was given much more. What luck! You're a beauty too, little girl!" said Glo as he winked at Chrome. Chrome gulped. If her brother was here, this man would have been dead. She tightened her hold on her trident.

"You have two options. Number one is that you come along with me quietly to meet Byakuran-sama and tell us where your family is hiding or die here," chuckled Glo as he pulled a stick from his pocket. Chrome kept silent.

"I guess you want to die then. Such a pity, you had a cute face," said Glo. He held up his weapon and Blue flames surrounded it. He took one more look at her and charged. A few minutes later, the two weapons clashed.

"Impressive…Nothing has been able to withstand my Riding Crop before! What an interesting weapon you have," grinned Glo. Chrome frowned and took a few steps back. She then tapped her weapon to the ground. With a loud grumbling sound, lave erupted from the ground, engulfing the surprised looking Glo. Chrome panted and clutched her stomach as she looked at the lava. No one had ever survived that illusion before.

"Hehehe…you really are full of surprises, little girl…Who knew you could create such first class illusions? If it wasn't for the fact that I learned my lesson after fighting Daemon Spade, I would have been killed!" laughed Glo. Chrome gasped and took a few steps back, her trident raised.

Glo held up his Rain ring and in an instance, the lava turned to waves of water that nearly hit Chrome. She had managed to jump out of harm's way by using her illusions to save herself. Glo laughed. "Come little girl. Is that all you got?" asked Glo, an evil glint in his eye.

Chrome bit her lip and tightened her grip on her weapon. This was not going to be an easy battle.

**BACK WITH THE VONGOLA**

"Daemon! Calm down!" yelled G as he tried his best to restrain the Mist guardian. Daemon growled at him.

"CALM DOWN? WOULD YOU CALM DOWN IF YOUR SON WAS OUT THERE FACING A HIGH LEVEL MILLIEFIORE OFFICER?" roared Daemon back.

"NO BUT YOU'RE TRYING TO BREAK DOWN THE ONLY PROTECTION WE HAVE AGAINST THE MILLIEFIORE! LEAVE THE DOOR ALONE!" roared G. Both men glared at each other.

"Both of you stop it! At this rate, Chrome will be dead and it'll be both your fault!" growled Cozart angrily.

Cozart is right! Stop arguing!" said Giotto as he rubbed his head tiredly. He had just received very terrible news and hearing his two guardians argue was not helping.

"Easy for you to say, Giotto! I don't want to lose Chrome like how you lost Tsuna!" yelled Daemon. Everyone in the room stared at him in shock.

"Daemon! Why you—" snarled G as he reached for his guns before he was stopped by Giotto who shook his head. "Daemon. I understand how you feel. No one here wants to lose Chrome too but if you start fighting with one another, she will die!" said Giotto calmly. Asari nodded in agreement.

"Kufufu…Uncle Giotto…Please do not forget Chrome has fake organs…If she loses her concentration or her energy, she may die!" said Mukuro, his face filled with panic and worry. Giotto nodded seriously.

"Daemon, Mukuro. I'm ordering the both of you to go after Chrome before it's too late. Alaude, follow them and make sure the three of you are not seen," ordered Giotto. All three of them nodded (with scowls from Alaude) and soon, were off.

"I'm sure glad Alaude placed trackers on all of us…" muttered Lampo as he yawned tiredly. Giotto nodded in agreement. "Asari, Lampo, G, I want the three of you to teach your children on how to use their rings. I think the time has come for them to learn it. They are in the 1st training hall." said Giotto seriously. The three men nodded and headed for the hall.

"Fuuta, please go and tell Knuckle to do the same thing once he is done treating Lal Mirch…I need to speak with her as well," said Giotto. Fuuta nodded and walked towards the infirmary.

"Giotto. Have you seen Hayato? He wasn't in the training hall when I went there," asked G.

"I think he said he was going to visit Tsuna's grave…" replied Giotto worriedly.

**BACK TO CHROME**

Chrome peeked from her hiding spot. Her clothes were torn and tattered. Her arms and legs were filled with scratches. There was even a wound on her hands and blood was dripping out slowly. She panted tiredly and coughed. Her enemy was hard. After 30 minutes, all she managed to do was graze him on his face, something he did not take too kindly to.

Chrome had tried everything. She had used the illusions Daemon had taught her but Glo had dispersed them easily. When everything else failed, she turned to her last option: hiding. Right now, she was currently hiding in a dark corner downstairs. She clutched her stomach again. It would be bad if her illusionary organs disappeared.

"Little girl~~! Where are you?" called Glo gleefully as he walked across the room, passing Chrome's hiding spot. For someone who wore spectacles, he sure was blind. "Come out little girl! I've got no time to play hide and see with you!" called Glo again. Chrome gulped and bit her lip.

Gripping her trident tightly, Chrome ran out of her hiding spot and charged straight for Glo. "Too late!" sang Glo as he turned around quickly and slashed his whip, hitting Chrome in the stomach. Chrome coughed and spat blood out. Glo laughed.

"That was too simple, little girl. Try har—" started Glo before something hit him from behind. The Chrome in front of him disappeared. "I am trying my best," said Chrome quietly as she stood panting behind him. She had managed to injure his back. Glo snarled in anger and slashed his whip, something Chrome dodged easily. Glo growled.

"Daemon would be proud…His little girl is so smart," sneered Glo. He then pulled out a box and ignited his ring. "Well, I'm going to bring you back to the Milliefiore, dead or alive!" growled Glo. He raised his ring and pushed it to the opening of the box. The box opened and bright blue light illuminated the room. A few minutes later, a growl was heard.

"This is my box weapon, the kraken. Now be good and die!" said Glo. Chrome gulped in fear. Blue flames were surrounding the kraken's tentacles. She tried to move but her legs prevented her from doing so. Glo laughed. "That's right! Cower in fear, little girl!" yelled Glo.

Chrome raised her trident and brought it down again. This time, the ground grumbled and lava erupted from it. The kraken roared and the lava turned to water. The kraken then used its tentacles and slammed Chrome into the nearby wall. With a slight scream, Chrome fell to the ground, her head dizzy and her body aching.

"Such a pity…You should have known better than to pick a fight with a Milliefiore member! The Vongola is weak!" laughed Glo. Chrome sat up slowly with her trident for support. Blood was trickling from her mouth. She looked at her enemy weakly.

"Before you go, there is one question I want to ask. Where is Sawada Tsunayoshi's body?" asked Glo. Chrome shook her head. here was no reason she had to tell them. Glo snorted. "Be that way. You can go and join him in the afterlife!" yelled Glo as he snapped his fingers. The kraken roared and brought down his large tentacles. Chrome closed her eyes.

Something flew into the room and dropped a grenade on the kraken, causing a large explosion. The kraken roared in pain. "What the heck?" frowned Glo as the animal swooped down and pecked him on the face. Glo screamed in pain. Chrome opened her eyes and looked up. A snowy white owl flew down and landed gently in front of her.

"Mukurowl…" gasped Chrome, her eyes wide with surprise. The owl hooted softly and opened his mouth. Chrome held out her hands as the Vongola Mist Ring fell onto her hands. "What is this? For m-me?" asked Chrome nervously. Mukurowl nodded.

Chrome had heard about the Vongola rings before. She had overheard Tsuna talking about them to Hayato and Takeshi. She had actually also seen them in action before, once when Daemon lit his ring and took out a whole army of soldiers. She had never expected the ring to come to her. She looked at Mukurowl who hooted again. "R-Really?" asked Chrome quietly. The owl nodded his head. With trembling hands, Chrome slipped it onto her index finger.

"I see…that's the famed Vongola ring. The one Byakuran-sama is looking for. But this is not the original one…" muttered Glo who had recovered from the owl's pecking. Chrome snapped out from her thoughts and looked at her enemy with panicked eyes. Glo chuckled to himself.

"In the end, what the owl brought was useless. Don't you agree, little girl?" said Glo. Chrome bit her lip. She wanted to tell Glo Xinia that he was wrong but she had no idea on how to light the ring. She needed more time to figure it out. With a slam of her trident, Chrome disappeared into the mist. Glo smiled amusedly.

"Mukurowl, how do you light this up?" mumbled Chrome as she examined her ring. Mukurowl flapped his wings and held out his leg. A piece of paper was attached to it. Chrome untied it and read it.

_Chrome-san,_

_To ignite a Vongola ring, you need resolve. I am cutting this note short because I know you are in battle. Good luck._

_P.S Who is the person you want to see the most?_

_Sincerely, Shoichi._

Chrome read the letter twice and bit her lip. The person she wanted to see the most now. Why did Shoichi ask such a weird question? Mukurowl hooted warningly and at the moment, Glo Xinia appeared. "Hiding is useless, little girl. I told you before, I can see through your illusions," said Glo. Chrome got up and raised her weapon. Mukurowl hooted at Glo.

"Shut up you useless animal. First you betray me and now you're on the enemy's side? You're better off dead," growled Glo as he lifted his whip and slashed it at Mukurowl. The owl flew and slammed into the wall.

"Mukurowl!" yelled Chrome in alarm. "An owl like that is useless. If it wasn't for Talbot and his meddling ways, the owl would still be with me," growled Glo. He turned back to Chrome who had ran to the owl and had picked him up gently. She looked at her opponent. There was no way she could defeat him without the help of her Vongola ring.

Much to her surprise, the owl flapped his wings and flew up. The owl pointed his beak at the Vongola ring and nodded his head. "A-Are you telling that y-you'll help me?" asked Chrome. Mukurowl nodded. Glo growled.

"Enough playing around! You're boring me out! I—"said Glo before he was pushed back. Mukurowl was now surrounded by indigo flames. "M-Mukurowl?" whispered Chrome. Apparently, it was her owl that had pushed Glo back. The owl hooted and flapped his wings impatiently. Chrome nodded, lifted her ring and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later, a bright light filled the room. "T-That's…" muttered Glo as he covered his eyes from the bright glow. Chrome looked at her ring. An indigo flame was surrounding the ring. "A-Amazing…" gasped Chrome. Mukurowl hooted and flapped his wings. He pointed his beak at Chrome's trident and nodded his head.

Without any hesitation, Chrome slammed her trident onto the floor as hard as she could. The light became brighter. Everyone in the room closed their eyes. When the light dimmed down, Chrome opened her eyes and nearly yelped in surprise for right in front of her stood Tsuna. He was wearing his favorite shirt and pants. He looked like how he did before he died.

"Chrome. You did well. See! I knew you could do it!" grinned Tsuna happily. Tears cascaded down Chrome's cheek. The person she had always wanted to see was Tsuna? "T-T-Tsuna…" mumbled Chrome. Her brother smiled at her.

"B-But how?" muttered Chrome. The last time she saw Tsuna, he was in his coffin. Tsuna smiled. "I'm an illusion created by you. Together with the Vongola ring, you've made a Real Illusion," replied Illusion-Tsuna. Chrome felt sadness fill her up. So he was only an illusion.

"I-Impossible…h-he's dead!" gasped Glo, his eyes almost popping out of his sockets. He looked at the owl and at Chrome's ring and understanding flooded his face. "I see…he's only an illusion…such a pity. He's practically useless," said Glo with a smile. Tsuna smiled back, his face dark.

"Come on, Chrome. Let's show him what we've got!" said Illusion-Tsuna with his normal grin. Chrome smiled and nodded. Clutching her trident tightly, she charged forward with her illusion brother. Glo laughed and snapped his fingers. The kraken roared and charged forward too.

Seeing her brother even though he was merely an illusion created by her gave Chrome hope. She had once engaged into battle with Tsuna and instead of feeling afraid, Chrome felt like she was having fun. Now, she raised her trident and hit the ground. The ground rumbled and split into two. The kraken roared before falling into the hole.

"Nice job, Chrome! My turn!" yelled Illusion-Tsuna. He activated his Hyper Dying Will Mode and was soon in front of the kraken. He then raised both hands. "Operation X," said Illusion-Tsuna seriously. "Understood, boss!" replied his headphones. The kraken bellowed and aimed his tentacles at Tsuna.

"I won't let you! Gyah!" yelled Chrome as she raised her trident and flower veins popped out of the ground. The veins then grabbed the large tentacles and held them back. The kraken roared. Illusion-Tsuna nodded thankfully at Chrome. Chrome smiled.

"Preparations complete, boss!" said the female voice. Tsuna grinned. "X Burner!" yelled Tsuna as sky flames shot out of his gloves. Glo laughed. "A weak illusion like that will never be able to lay a scratch on the kraken!" yelled Glo gleefully. Much to his surprise, it did.

As the flames hit the kraken, the animal started screaming in pain. To Glo's complete astonishment, the animal begun to incinerate. By the time Tsuna was done, nothing was left. Glo watched in complete horror. "I-Impossible…H-He's merely an illusion! I've never heard of an illusion like this before!" yelled Glo. "It had to be the Mist ring! I underestimated it too much just because it was not the original one!" cursed Glo.

"You don't have to worry about it anymore, Glo," said Illusion-Tsuna calmly. Using his flames as thrusters, he charged for Glo who had pulled out his riding crop and had infused his flames into it. Eyeing the weapon with calm eyes, Tsuna enlarged the flames on his gloves and then proceeded to grabbing it. Glo growled.

"Go for it, Chrome!" yelled Illusion-Tsuna. Chrome nodded seriously and twirled her weapon. A loud hissing sound was heard. Glo looked down and shrieked. Snakes were making their way up his legs. With a smile, Tsuna tightened his grip on the weapon and kicked Glo in the stomach causing him to fly back.

"Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition," said Tsuna calmly as he placed his hands on Glo's shoulder. Ice covered Glo as he screamed curses at Illusion-Tsuna. Tsuna merely smiled back pleasantly. Pretty soon, Glo was covered with ice. "Go for it, Chrome!" said Tsuna before releasing his grip on Glo. Chrome nodded determinedly.

Chrome raised her trident and stabbed it through the ice. Glo's eyes widened in pain. Tsuna smiled at her. "Good job Chrome…" whispered Illusion-Tsuna before he and the ice disappeared. The flame on Chrome's ring flickered and slowly died. Glo fell onto the floor, his body bleeding badly.

Chrome slumped down onto the floor. She was exhausted. Mukurowl hooted gently and landed on her shoulder. "W-We did it, Mukurowl…We—" said Chrome before a loud bang was heard. Chrome coughed again and was shocked to know that she was coughing a large amount of blood. She turned around weakly and saw Glo holding a pistol in his hand. He smiled sadistically once before passing out.

Chrome coughed again and this time, she felt her stomach cave in. She had lost control on her illusions. Her whole vision went blurly. At that moment, footsteps echoed into the room. "Nagi! Chrome!" yelled two very familiar voices. Chrome smiled.

"Brother…Mukuro…" whispered Chrome before passing out on the cold hard floor.

**WITH HAYATO**

"Good morning, Tsuna! It's a nice day today, isn't it? I'm so sorry I had to tag this idiot along with me when I came to visit you," said Hayato as he looked at Tsuna's tombstone. Beside him, Dino smiled sheepishly. Hayato snorted before placing the bouquet of flowers he had brought in front of the gravestone.

"Like I said, you stupid horse. Why the heck did you have to follow me here today?" hissed Hayato angrily as he pointed accusingly at Dino.

"Well, I wanted to say 'Hi' to Tsuna too!"

"IDIOT!"

Hayato growled at Dino's laughing face before looking at Tsuna's grave. He had to admit it: even though Kyoya was an idiot, he did a really good job on Tsuna's grave. Flowers had started growing on top of the earth. Even the gravestone looked well done. The sunlight shone directly on top of the grave. The greenery surrounding it made it even more beautiful.

"Hayato. Did you hear that?" whispered Dino suddenly. His eyes were full of caution as he eyed the surroundings.

"Huh?"

"I mean, I think someone is watching us," whispered Dino as he reached for his whip. Hayato closed his eyes and listened. True enough, he heard a rustle through the bushes. He pulled out his dynamite and threw them at the bushes.

"That was close…I almost died…" came a voice. Dino and Hayato raised their weapons. The smoke cleared up as the intruder walked into the clearing.

"So this is where Sawada Tsunayoshi's grave is hidden, eh? Interesting…Looks like I caught myself a big fish today," chuckled Iris gleefully as she pulled out a smaller looking whip. "My, my…Byakuran-sama would be pleased…" said Iris as she eyed Hayato and Dino tauntingly.

**END. I know I said that Hayato was going to fight today but I just had no time to write the battle scene. Chrome's fight took longer than I expected. I'll try updating tomorrow. Until then, HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE EVERYONE!**

**(P.S Do you want me to add Kyoya into the fight tomorrow? Or anybody else? If yes, please tell me)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**HAPPY NEW YEARS! It's finally 2012! Wishing all of you a prosperous and happy new year!:DD Thank you so much for reviewing yesterday! I really, really love you guys! Thanks to your reviews yesterday, I am going to add two more people into today's fight scene. :D Once again, Happy New Year!XD**

Chapter 8: Teamwork

"Hm? What a lucky day! I've found Sawada Tsunayoshi's grave, a Vongola brat and the Chiavarone boss!" chuckled Iris happily. She grinned triumphly at Hayato and Dino. "Byakuran-sama will be so proud!"

"D*&n Milliefiore dog! Like I will allow you to touch Tsuna's grave!" hissed Hayato angrily. He was holding his dynamite threateningly. Dino held his whip at the ready, his eyes glaring at Iris. Iris chuckled.

"Milliefiore dog? How insulting. My name is Iris Hepburn and I am an officer of Squad 12. I will bring the Vongola brat's coffin and the two of you back to base with me," said Iris confidently. She held a small whip in her hand. "Why don't we not waste time with needless fighting and the two of you follow me quietly?"

Hayato growled. "How dare you insult Tsuna like that? Die already!" yelled Hayato as he lit his dynamite and threw them at Iris. Iris sighed. A few minutes later, a loud explosion sounded, followed by smoke.

"Hayato, please be careful of Tsuna's grave!" yelled Dino. He strained his eyes to have a good look at the grave.

"Tch! Of course I am! Do you think I'll destroy Tsuna's resting place so easily? More importantly, is she dead?" yelled Hayato, his right hand reaching for more dynamite.

"What a one trick phony…You really should learn more moves," said a voice. Hayato and Dino frowned for walking out slowly from the smoke was Iris. She held out her index finger and waggled it tauntingly.

A vein in Hayato's head twitched. "Shut up you d*&n dog! I'll kill you!" snarled Hayato. Just as he was about to light up another round of dynamite, Dino held out his hand.

"Wait Hayato! She's on a whole different level. As the 2nd boss of the Chiavarone, let me handle it," said Dino coolly. He stood in front of Hayato and raised his whip. Iris arched an eyebrow and held up her own whip.

'_Dino Chiavarone. 2__nd__ boss of the Chiavarone family. He has to be good if he was chosen as the next boss. I have to be careful,' _thought Iris.

"Take that!" yelled Dino as he slashed his whip towards Iris. Iris raised her weapon for defense.

"OWWW! WHERE THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE HITTING YOU STUPID HORSE?" roared Hayato as he clutched his right eye in pain. In front of him, Dino was smiling apologetically and sheepishly. "S-Sorry! My bad! I-I slipped! I don't understand why…" Hayato growled.

"That surprised me. I thought the famed Bucking Bronco or whatever your name is was very powerful. What a letdown," giggled Iris. "Let me show you what true power is," said Iris. The ring that rested on her finger started emitting purple flames. She then pulled out a small box and just like Glo Xinia, she injected her ring into the opening of the box.

"This isn't good…"muttered Dino uncomfortably. Iris's box had opened and was now emitting purple light. As the light dimmed down, four rather muscled creatures appeared from the box. All of them looked terrible deformed and had cloud flames on their foreheads. Iris was sitting comfortably on one of the creature's shoulder.

"So how is it? This is The Death Stalk Unit. It was a gift from four incredibly talented yet foolish scientist," said Iris. Hayato and Dino looked at each other, their faces disgusted.

"It looks more like a mixture of Godzilla and King Kong…" muttered Hayato. He frowned. Taking on all four of these creatures was not going to be easy.

"Now come on. I have a very tight schedule here. Just do as I say and I promise Byakuran-sama will be nice to you," said Iris as she stroked the creature she was sitting on. Dino looked repulsed.

"Shut up! I'll never let you touch Tsuna," growled Hayato. Dino nodded in agreement. Both boys held up their weapons. Iris shook her head sadly.

"Alright then. You leave me no choice. I guess I'll have to kill you!" said Iris. As she jumped off the creature she was sitting on, she raised her hip and slapped it against the creature. The creature roared. She did the same to the other three.

"Go! Bring me back their bodies!" ordered Iris. All four creatures roared in unison and walked towards the two boys.

"Oii Bucking Bronco! We'll take two of these goons each! Don't die on me!" yelled Hayato as he raised his storm ring.

"I could say the same for you, Hurricane Bomb! Let's protect our little brother together!" replied Dino. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a ring of his own. It was the Sky Chiavarone ring, something Talbot had forged just for him.

"Let's go crazy!" yelled Dino as both he and Hayato charged forward.

**A FEW HOURS LATER**

"This is harder than I expected…" panted Dino tiredly as he and Hayato hid behind some bushes.

"Hard? You had it hard? Thanks to you, I had to fight all four of them while you kept on tripping on your own two feet!You're pretty useless without your men!" hissed Hayato angrily. Dino smiled sheepishly causing Hayato to growl to himself.

Both boys were injured. Hayato had deep cuts along his arm and face. Thanks to Dino who had once tripped over his feet and had slammed into Hayato while he was about to throw his dynamite, both boys were now covered with burnt marks.

Hayato frowned and he thought about the enemy. He had managed to injure her box creatures but every time he did, she would just whip them and they would regenerate on their own. The worst part was that every time she whipped them, they would become even stronger. Hayato cussed.

"Here they come!" warned Dino. Hayato nodded and pulled out more dynamite. Peeking out from the bushes, he saw a lone Death Stalk Unit walking through the woods.

"Hayato. I think you should try infusing your Storm flames into your dynamite. That way, maybe we can kill them off," whispered Dino.

"And how the heck do you do that?"

"Just light up your ring and it'll do the rest!"

With a scowl on his face, Hayato lit his ring up. Just like before, it emitted a red flame. Hayato looked at Dino who nodded back in reply. He pointed his finger at the lone creature and indicated for Hayato to throw dynamite at it. Hayato nodded and lit up his dynamite

"TAKE THAT YOU GOON!" roared Hayato as he threw his dynamite with full force. It took some time for the creature to process the fact that there were dynamite coming towards him. By the time he did, it was too late and the dynamite came in contact with its prey.

The explosion that followed after that was incredibly loud. Dino and Hayato were forcibly pushed out from their hiding spot. The creature screamed in agony. When the smoke cleared up, the creature was moaning in agony on the floor. His limbs had been blown off and there was a big gaping hole on his shoulder. Dino looked disgusted.

"Were you trying to kill us, Hurricane Bomb?" asked Dino, his body shaking with fear. Hayato snorted proudly.

"You useless creature! What did I say about getting hit?" growled Iris angrily. Both boys looked up and there was Iris standing disapprovingly beside the creature. The other three were looking forlornly at their injured brother. With a sigh, Iris pulled out her whip and started whipping the creature. In no time, his limbs grew back and his wounds healed. Hayato cussed. He had totally forgotten about that.

"That was smart, I'll give you that. Infusing storm flames into your dynamite…hm…" said Iris. She smiled wickedly and turned back to her goons. Without any hesitation, she started whipping all of them. "Grow! Grow you fools! Kill them both!" yelled Iris. The creatures roared.

"This is bad…really, really bad…" muttered Dino as he looked up. Hayato gulped and nodded. The creatures had grown taller and bigger in size. Iris laughed. With a snap of her finger, the creatures stumbled forward. Despite their size, they were very fast. With a slam of their hands, Dino and Hayato were separated from one another.

Hayato wiped the sweat from his face. At least they were a good distance away from Tsuna's grave. He dodged skillfully as a slammed his hand at his direction and in return, tossed a dynamite stick at them. The creature dodged. Iris laughed.

"Hayato! Look out!" yelled Dino. Too late. Just as Hayato turned around, a goon grabbed him. Iris laughed. Hayato cursed loudly. He struggled to break free but it was impossible. Dino tripped on his feet, allowing the creature to pick him up as well.

"Hey, brats. Before you go, tell me something," said Iris. Hayato growled and bit his lip. "Where is the Vongola base? Seeing that Sawada Tsunayoshi's grave is here, I'm sure it's around here somewhere," said Iris, her eyes excited. The creature tightened his hold. Hayato and Dino winced in pain.

"We have nothing to say to the likes of you!" said Dino fiercely. Iris arched her eyebrows. "So be it. You can go join your brother,:" said Iris as she snapped her fingers again. Hayato and Dino closed their eyes, expecting unbelievable pain.

"EXTREME PUNCH!" roared a loud voice. The creature screamed in pain and released his grip on the two boys who fell head first onto the green grass. Iris hissed angrily and turned around, looking for the intruder.

"Sasagawa Ryohei on the scene! EXTREMEEEEEE!" roared Ryohei enthusiastically. Someone sighed.

"Make some more noise and I will bite you to death!" said a cold voice that sent shivers up everybody's spine.

"What are you doing on the ground, boss?" sighed a voice. Dino's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. "R-Romario! I-I was just resting! S-Sheesh! Always getting on my back!" said Dino as he stood up, his whip in hand.

For once in his life, Hayato was actually happy to see his other siblings. He had always disliked Kyoya with his cold dead stare and Ryohei with his unbearable passion for boxing. Now, he wanted to hug the both of them.

"Hm…more brats? What a bother…" muttered Iris with a pout. Kyoya smiled coldly and whipped out his tonfa's.

"For disturbing my sleep and making a loud ruckus near my younger brother's grave, I will bite you to death!" said Kyoya, his cold eyes boring into Iris's eyes. Iris growled. Kyoya turned around and threw a box at Hayato who managed to catch it in time.

"That herbivore with red hair and glasses told me to hand this over to you…" said Kyoya boredly before turning back to Iris.

Hayato examined the box with interest. It looked just like how Iris's box was designed although the pattern was different. He looked at the top of the box and there was a small opening, small enough to fit a ring.

"Hayato!Ryohei! We'll each take one of the creatures! Be careful!" yelled Dino, his voice boss like. Hayato nodded. Ryohei roared enthusiastically.

With his right hand man behind him and a smile on his face, Dino charged forward towards one of the creatures. The creature roared and charged forward as well. "Romario! Get back and let me handle this!" yelled Dino. Romario nodded and retreated to a safer spot.

"Here I come you dumb goon!" yelled Dino as he aimed his whip at the creature's legs. The whip wrapped itself tightly around the legs. With a slight thug, the creature came crashing down. Dino grinned widely and untangled the whip. This time, he slashed the creature on the back. The creature roared in pain.

"I'm not done yet! Take that! Salto Volante Veloce Come Luce!" yelled Dino as he infused his Sky Flames into his whip and whipped the creature with accurate speed. To those who were watching with amazement, it seemed like the light was moving in all directions. The goon screamed again in pain. When the light faded, all that was left were two badly injured opponents. Dino stood in front of them coolly with Romario applauding behind.

"GUARHH! EXTREME PUNCH!" roared Ryohei as he aimed his fist at the creature's giant limb. The creature growled and slammed his giant fist onto the spot where Ryohei had been standing on a few moments ago.

"THAT'S IT! MORE EXTREME POWERR!" laughed Ryohei happily. Most people would have ran when they saw a giant deformed creature but not Ryohei. "YOU LOOK LIKE A GOOD BOXER! I CHALLENGE YOU!" roared Ryohei. The creature snarled and slammed his fist into the ground again.

"MAXIMUM CANON!" yelled Ryohei as he aimed his right fist at the creature. His fist came into contact with its target. For a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen but soon, the damage could be seen. Ryohei's attack had actually destroyed the creature's legs. The creature shrieked as bits of flesh flew everywhere.

"That's gross…." muttered Dino with a shiver as Romario magically pulled out an umbrella and shielded his boss from the debris.

Even though Ryohei had managed to destroy the creature's legs, it could still move around by crawling. It was now trying it's best to grab Ryohei who was running around with a wide grin on his face. "THAT'S RIGHT! EXTREME CHASING!" laughed Ryohei.

"GET RID OF IT YOU IDIOTTTT!" roared Hayato. Ryohei stopped running and turned back around, his eyes serious. "ALL RIGHT! HERE I GO!" roared Ryohei. He raised his fist in a blink of an eye, there were three Ryohei's.

"MAXIMUM INGRAM! THIS IS FOR TSUNA!" yelled the three Ryohei's. The creature screamed as he absorbed the impact and was thrown several feet away. "EXTREME!" roared Ryohei happily. Dino merely stood there with his mouth gaping open like a fish out of water. To think he was that powerful.

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M TRYING TO OPEN THIS BOX!" yelled Hayato. He turned around and threw some dynamite at his pursuer. The creature roared in pain but continued chasing him. With a cuss, Hayato took a look at his box again, his brain thinking hard. He remembered the moment when Iris injected her ring into the opening.

"In here, was it?" muttered Hayato as he lit his ring up and quickly tapped the opening of the box. The box opened slowly and bright red light emitted from it.

"What the-?" muttered Hayato. When he opened his eyes, he felt something being strapped onto his right hand and was incredibly surprised to see a canon with a shape of a skull that was surrounded by storm flames strapped onto his hand. "Meow.." said a familiar voice. Hayato looked down and his eyes nearly popped out.

"AHH! URI! What are you doing here?" asked Hayato. Uri merely growled and pounced onto Hayato's head. He looked at Iris's minion and hissed. "More importantly, WHAT THE HECK IS THIS?" yelled Hayato as he looked at his new weapon. Uri meowed and shook his head. "Though…it looks pretty cool…" muttered Hayato, his eyes filled with amazement.

"MEOWWW!" hissed Uri as he scratched Hayato's head.

"WHAT IS IT?" yelled Hayato. Uri hissed again and pointed at the creature who was still chasing him. "R-Right! I'll take him down! Once I figure out how this works…" muttered Hayato. Uri sighed.

"Come on, come on! Tell me something!" muttered Hayato impatiently as he shook the weapon on his hand. To his surprise, words made from storm flames appeared slowly from the weapon. It read 'Feed Me'. Hayato blinked twice.

"Feed you? With what? Uri?" growled Hayato. On his head, Uri whacked his paw angrily, causing to flinch. "Meow.." sighed Uri. He jumped off Hayato's head and pointed at its stomach where a strange looking cartridge was strapped on.

"I see! You want me to erm…feed this into this?" asked Hayato. Uri nodded. "Great job, Uri! I'll give you fish when we get home later!" yelled Hayato as he pulled the cartridge off the cat's stomach. He then quickly inserted the cartridge into the rear end of the canon where another skull was mounted.

"Take that!" yelled Hayato after he had aimed the weapon directly at the creature. A beam of red flames surrounded by lightning shaped flames shot out of the canon's mouth and hit the creature straight at the stomach. Iris's minion roared in pain as his body was slowly disintegrated by the storm flames. Hayato watched in awe as the body slowly crumbled in front of him.

"T-This is so cool! Alright! I'll call you 'Flame Arrow'! " squealed Hayato happily. Dino who was watching nearby shook his head and sighed. Uri sighed as well. Why was his master so stupid? "Tsuna! Did you see that?" yelled Hayato happily.

'_Still, it was still impressive...'_ thought the Chiavarone boss with a smile on his face.

"M-My minions! H-How could they?" screamed Iris angrily. The one's who had been taken out by Hayato, Dino and Ryohei were either groaning in pain or had already disintegrated. The only one left was standing protectively behind Iris. Kyoya grinned.

"Because they were herbivores. Come. I do not intend the murderer of my cute little brother to escape now…" said Kyoya, his cold eyes filled with hatred. Iris gulped but stood her ground. Kyoya raised his tonfa's and charged.

If it wasn't for the fact that Iris still had one minion left who had taken the impact, she would have most probably died when Kyoya attacked. "This is annoying…I guess I'll have to take you out first, giant herbivore…" said Kyoya calmly. The creature roared.

"If you're going to take us out, you're going to have to face the both of us at the same time!" yelled Iris with a smile on her face. Kyoya yawned boredly.

"This is the logic animals use when they are trapped. Unfortunately for you, logic cannot hold me down," replied Kyoya.

Iris growled and whipped the creature. "TAKE HIM DOWN! BRING HIM DOWN!" yelled Iris impatiently. The creature roared and charged towards Kyoya.

"Cloud flames huh? I have those too…" said Kyoya, his eyes filled with excitement as he infused his flames into his tonfa's.

The creature roared and slammed the ground with his fist, something Kyoya dodged and returned with a swing of his tonfa. The creature screamed in pain. Kyoya's attack had managed to detach the arm. "Weak," said Kyoya coldly.

Iris growled and whipped her minion again. His hand grew back, causing Kyoya to arch his eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh? Growing them back? How troublesome…" muttered Kyoya. Raising his tonfa's in a deadly manner, he charged forward again, this time aiming for the creature's head. In one quick movement, the creature's head came rolling onto the floor. Iris took a step back and raised her whip.

"Not this time. It's time to end it!" said Dino calmly. Using his whip, he grabbed Iris's Cloud Whip and threw it towards Romario who caught it just in time. Both Iris and Kyoya growled.

"She's my prey. Don't interfere," growled Kyoya. Dino grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry. I thought that if I didn't do that, this fight could last forever…" replied Dino.

"Where do you think you are going?" asked Kyoya coldly. Iris stopped in her footsteps. She had found the perfect opportunity to escape while Kyoya and Dino argued. She turned around slowly. All four boys plus Romario were glaring at her.

"P-Please. I-If you let me go, I-I'll make sure B-Byakuran-sama will give you a-a high r-rank within his forces," started Iris. Kyoya snorted and held out his metal tonfa.

"Weak herbivores do not interest me. I will bite that man to death one day!" said Kyoya as he brought down his tonfa. Iris screamed and Kyoya was the last person she saw before blacking out.

"That was easy…" muttered Dino.

"Says the guy that tripped on his own two feet," muttered Hayato.

"EXTREME FIGHTING!" roared Ryohei.

"Shut up or I'll bite you to death!" growled Kyoya.

"HAYATO! RYOHEI! KYOYA! DINO!" yelled some familiar voices. All of them turned around and saw Giotto, G, Asari, Takeshi and Knuckle running towards them, their faces alarmed and worried.

"We heard the explosions. What ha—is that?" gasped Giotto as he took a look at Iris. What was a Milliefiore member like her doing in a place like this? Without wasting any more time, he turned to the kids. "Explain," ordered Giotto. With a sigh, Hayato related the whole story to his uncle.

"I see…this is bad…" muttered Giotto with a frown. If the Milliefiore had already started searching here, they had no time to waste. "From now on, all of you cannot wander out here as often as you like. You kids were lucky. The enemy you faced was weak. If something like this happens again, the chances of survival will be slim," said Giotto. G nodded in agreement.

"What about Tsuna's grave? asked Hayato. Giotto was silent as he looked at the grave. Alaude and Kyoya had done a very good job. It looked so peaceful. "We have to leave it here," replied Giotto.

"But the enemies could just come back and take it!" argued Hayato. Giotto nodded and smiled.

"Don't worry, Hayato. I'll ask Shoichi, Giannini and Spanner to do something. I will never let the Milliefiore take Tsuna from us," said Giotto firmly. Hayato bit his lip but nodded.

"Knuckle, heal Hayato and Dino. They look terrible," said G. Knuckle nodded.

"Do it inside. It's far too dangerous here," ordered Giotto.

"What about this Milliefiore dog? Should we kill her? If she goes off like this, she may bring reinforcements next time," growled G as he glared at Iris.

"Of course not. Killing won't solve anything. Tell Alaude to erase her memories. I'm sure he has something like that around here…" said Giotto. He eyed Iris with hatred in his eyes. Even though he had just told G not to harm her, he himself had a strong urge to do it himself.

"Hn…" replied G.

**BACK TO THE BASE**

"Vongola Primo! Come here, quick!" yelled Giannini, his face filled with panic. Giotto rushed over.

"What is it, Giannini?" asked Giotto urgently. Giannini gulped. Even Shoichi and Spanner looked shocked.

"Spit it out!" growled G impatiently. Giannini whimpered.

"I-It's B-Byakuran! H-He managed to h-hack into our system and is requesting a talk with us!" gulped Shoichi. Giotto and G looked at the red-head blurly. Did they hear right?

"Put him on!" ordered Giotto. He had no idea why he was doing this. Giannini nodded and pressed a few buttons. A few minutes later, an image of the hated man appeared on the screen. Seeing him made Giotto's blood boil.

"Primo-chan! Long time no see! The last time I saw you was when Tsunayoshi-kun died!" said Byakuran cheerfully. Giotto clenched his fist. G growled angrily. Byakuran chuckled.

"Don't look so angry! I'm only here to say hello! Hmm…if I'm not wrong, Dae-chan will be back soon with his daughter. It's a pity she was shot. Such a pretty girl too," said Byakuran as he chomped on his marshmallows.

"Chrome? Chrome was shot?" snarled Giotto angrily. G was reaching for his gun. Byakuran laughed happily.

"Oh yes! After defeating Glo-chan! Such a pity…reminds you of something, doesn't it, Primo-chan?" said Byakuran. Giotto growled. He had never wanted to kill someone as much as this before.

"Hm…I see the Vongola ring on your finger…Come on, Primo-chan! Give it to me, please?" asked Byakuran. G snorted.

"I see you won't. No problem then. I will get it one day," said Byakuran, his face serious. Giannini, Shoichi and Spanner were gritting their teeth. What a despicable man.

"Before I go, Primo-chan, G-chan! I found something interesting about you guys! G, I never expected you to do something like that before. Alaude-chan too! Lampo-chan…well, I did a bit but not you guys…Tut tut…" said Byakuran as he waggled his finger.

"What the heck are you talking about, you b*&^$^%d?" growled G angrily. Byakuran grinned.

"Sho-chan! I know you know what I'm talking about. Maybe you should tell them. Until next time, bye!" said Byakuran with a happy wave. The screen went dead.

"Shoichi, what does he mean?" asked Giotto and G at the same time. Shoichi gulped and held his stomach. Spanner patted him comfortingly.

"P-Primo-san…G-san…I think you all should know about this…" muttered Shoichi.

**DONE. I'll try updating tomorrow or maybe later on today! Once again, HAPPY NEW YEARS!**

**P.S Let us pray for Japan. They just experienced an earthquake today. :(**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

Chapter 9: The Vongola Family

"Shoichi, would you care to explain what he meant by those words?" asked Giotto, his eyes filled with curiosity and suspicion. Beside him, G had already folded his arms and was tapping his foot impatiently. Shoichi gulped nervously. Both he and Spanner had not planned to tell anybody what they had discovered.

"W-Well y-you see…erm…" started Shoichi while clutching his stomach. Spanner patted his friend comfortingly.

"See what? Spit it out," growled G, causing Shoichi to start sweating bullets.

"It's about all of you. You and—" said Shoichi before they were loudly interrupted by Giannini.

"Primo, G! Daemon has just returned! I'm opening the doors right now!" announced the mechanic as he pressed a few buttons quickly. Giotto and G hurried to the door.

"We'll have this talk next time, Shoichi!" yelled Giotto before leaving the room. Shoichi scratched his head with a pained look on his face.

**AT THE ENTRANCE**

"KNUCKLE! GET HERE THIS INSTANCE!" roared Daemon in a panicked voice as he rushed in with an unconscious Chrome in his arms. She was covered with injuries and was breathing slowly. Mukuro was running beside his father, his face solemn and angry. Behind the three illusionist walked in Alaude with a young girl in his arms. She too was bruised and was unconscious.

"Daemon! How did it go? Did you fin—" asked Knuckle in a serious tone before taking in the scene. He looked from Daemon to Chrome to Mukuro. With a frown plastered on his normally happy face, Knuckle rolled up his sleeves and motioned for Daemon to place Chrome on the nearby chair, something Daemon did with utmost care.

"She's in a terrible condition. She was shot in the stomach and she's very tired. Who is providing her with the organs?" asked Knuckle as he placed his flame infused scalpel on Chrome's wounds. Sweat was dripping down his face.

"Kufufu…I am…" replied Mukuro eerily. Knuckle took one look at him and nodded.

"Daemon, what happened?" asked Giotto urgently. Daemon shook his head.

"Nufufu…I really have no clue. When we arrived on the spot, Chrome was already unconscious. That Milliefiore dog was also on the ground. It seems like Chrome took him out herself," said Daemon with a proud look on his face. His face changed again when he thought of the moment when they realized that she had lost control of her illusions and that she had almost died. Giotto nodded his head thoughtfully.

"What happened to her opponent?" asked Giotto. Daemon fought back a growl.

"Alaude took care of him. Our top priority was getting Chrome home," replied Daemon curtly.

The whole room went silent again as everyone watched the Sun guardian heal Chrome, his face filled with total concentration. From time to time, Daemon would ask about Chrome's condition only to get short replies from Knuckle such as 'Be patient' or 'Maybe'. It nearly drove him insane.

After waiting for 30 minutes, Knuckle breathed out a sigh of relief and smiled happily at everyone in the room. "She'll live. Thanks to Mukuro's extremely good illusions, Chrome will live," announced Knuckle. The atmosphere in the room changed as everyone sighed in relief of cheered happily. Daemon felt as though a large burden had been taken from him.

"But, she needs a lot of rest. Daemon, please bring her to the infirmary and put her on the bed next to Lal Mirch's," ordered Knuckle. Daemon nodded silently and did as he was told with Mukuro following him closely behind.

"Speaking about Lal Mirch, how is she, Knuckle?" asked Giotto. He still had to talk to her about her 'mission'. Knuckle shook his head solemnly.

"I'm afraid she's still unconscious. Don't worry, Primo. Fuuta told me that he would alert us when she woke up," said Knuckle with a grin. Giotto nodded.

"Alaude, who is that girl?" asked Asari curiously as he pointed at the girl in Alaude's arms. Her hair was braided and she wore what looked like Chinese Kung Fu clothing. She also had a wide forehead. Alaude glanced down coldly.

"She was being chased by those Milliefiore guards just now. As those herbivores were making a loud ruckus in my town, I got rid of all of them. This girl then told me her master, the Arcobaleno Fon was just killed and that the Milliefiore guards went after her after they killed him. She also said that her name was I-Pin before passing out," said Alaude coldly, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Giotto frowned. Byakuran had killed another Arcobaleno. Giotto was too busy thinking to notice that he had clenched his fist. "Alaude, put I-Pin in the infirmary as well. She'll stay with us until we defeat that man," said Giotto in his boss-like voice. Alaude nodded coldly.

"While you're at it, Alaude, could you please tell everyone to meet us in the living room? Shoichi has something important to tell us," said Giotto. Alaude eyed his boss coldly before nodding his head na walking off.

"What is this 'important' thing, Primo?" asked Asari with interest in his eyes. Giotto shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe it's about Lampo and his useless ways," smirked G. Lampo yawned and stuck his tongue out.

**A FEW MINUTES LATER**

"So who died?" asked Dino solemnly. Everybody looked at him with arched eyebrows. Dino grinned sheepishly.

"What is it, Giotto? Are we planning a battle strategy?" asked Cozart with a confused expression on his face. Giotto shook his head.

"Nufufu…if it's not important, I would like to return to the infirmary…" said Daemon eerily.

"Hold it, Daemon! I've not even begun yet!" argued Giotto. Daemon tapped his foot impatiently.

"Then hurry up and start!"

Giotto sighed. "Well, for starters, we just had a video call from Byakuran," started Giotto. The room went silent as everyone looked at Giotto with tensed eyes. "Before he ended the call, he told us that he was shocked with us, especially G, Alaude and Lampo," continued Giotto. Alaude arched his eyebrows. G growled. Lampo gulped nervously.

"Did he tell you why?" drawled Alaude's cold voice. Giotto shook his head.

"He told us that Shoichi knew what he was talking about," growled G. Everyone turned and looked at Shoichi.

"How did he know that you know what he knows?" asked Daemon suspiciously. Alaude touched his handcuffs. Shoichi whimpered and clutched his stomach. He was still afraid of these guys.

"A-A few days ago, I-I received a m-message that o-our computer was hacked. W-We're lucky Byakuran did not take the i-important things," stammered Shoichi. "A-Anyways, I am not a spy!" said Shoichi defensively.

"We know you're not. If you were a spy, I would have known a long time ago," said Giotto as he tapped his head. Shoichi breathed a sigh of relief. He had forgotten about Giotto's Hyper Intuition. Daemon muttered to himself.

"Get on with it. What do you know?" asked G impatiently. Shoichi nodded his head.

"Y-Yes. I was going on to that. Spanner, could you please pass me that device?" asked Shoichi. Without taking his eyes off whatever he was doing, Spanner picked up the needed device and passed it over.

"You see, Spanner and I were curious about your relationship with erm…your children…and so we did a little research…" said Shoichi sheepishly. The adults blinked twice.

"Relationship? We found them off the streets. They' were adopted," said Giotto blurly. What were the chances of actually being blood related to children you picked up on the streets? The chances were one to a million.

Shoichi coughed and smiled. "Actually, Primo, as shocking as it seems, they are all related to you in a way," replied Shoichi. Everyone in the room blinked twice again.

"Wait, wait, wait…So you're saying that we are actually related to these kids? That's impossible!" argued Lampo.

"For once in my life, I actually agree with this idiot," said Daemon as he crossed his arms. Alaude leaned against the wall, his eyes bored.

"Though if we were really related to the kids, wouldn't that be cool?" asked Asari cheerfully.

"This sounds awfully suspicious, boss," whispered Romario. Dino nodded, his face thoughtful.

"Let's hear your explanation, Shoichi. What did you find?" asked Cozart with a wide grin on his face. Shoichi nodded and looked at Giotto.

"Primo, you were brought up together with G in an orphanage here, right?" asked Shoichi. Giotto nodded mutely. Shoichi smiled.

"Did you know that you had an older brother by the name of Sawada Iemitsu, in other words, Tsuna's real father," announced Shoichi, his voice echoing throughout the quiet room. Giotto looked at the red haired stupidly as his brain tried to decipher Shoichi's sentence.

"B-B-Brother? But—" started Giotto before Shoichi held up his hand.

"I know it's rather difficult to take this in but your father passed away while you were still in your mother's womb and since your mother was really poor, she had no choice but to give you to that orphanage. Giotto was the name the orphanage gave you. Your real name is Sawada Ieyasu. Your father was Japanese," said Shoichi. Spanner nodded his head absent-mindedly.

"Oya oya…Primo is Tsuna's uncle eh? Nufufu…no wonder they look so alike…" chuckled Daemon eerily. Giotto was still staring at Shoichi stupidly. G patted his friend consolingly on the arm. Asari and Knuckle laughed. Lampo grinned. Alaude arched his eyebrow. "Hello Uncle!" laughed Cozart merrily as he whacked Giotto hard on the back.

After a few minutes of staring stupidly at Shoichi who was now twiddling his thumbs uncomfortably, Giotto broke into a grin. To think, he was actually related to Tsuna in a way. He smiled. Even though he was by right Tsuna's uncle, he knew the father-son relationship between them would never fade. Knowing that the two of them actually had the same blood was just an extra. Giotto could have hugged Shoichi on the spot.

E-Erm…I'm not finished yet," muttered Shoichi. Everyone looked at him again. Shoichi held up a picture of Hayato.

"G-san, do you know who Gokudera Hayato's mother is?" asked Shoichi. G shook his head. How the heck was he supposed to know? He had never once bothered asking Hayato about his parents.

"Her name, was Lavina," announced Shoichi loudly. G's eyes widened in shock. Shoichi looked at his face and nodded happily to himself.

"D-Did you say Lavina? That Lavina?" asked G, his eyes dazed. Shoichi nodded and held up a photo of her. G accepted it with trembling hands. The woman in the picture was beautiful. Her eyes sparkled gently and happily as she held her newborn son in her arms. Her beautiful long silver hair made her look even better.

"Lavina? Wasn't that woman G's girlfriend until she disappeared a few years ago? I remember G went into a state of depression when she did," said Giotto thoughtfully. Cozart nodded. Daemon looked as though Christmas had arrived early. Lampo snickered. Asari laughed. Knuckle cheered. Alaude looked menacingly at his comrades.

"But what does this have to do with me?" asked G roughly, his eyes still looking at the photo. Shoichi smiled uncomfortably.

"It has everything to do with you…You see, erm…Hayato is an illegitimate child…He is your son," said Shoichi awkwardly. The room went dead silent as G blinked blurly at Shoichi. A few minutes later, his cheeks turned red. Daemon roared with laughter.

"Oh my…G, how could you? You had a child out of wedlock. And here I thought you were the most decent," chuckled Daemon merrily. G growled.

"Congratulations, G! We should celebrate!" cheered Asari.

"EXTREME PARTYING!" roared Knuckle happily.

"Yare, yare…I am shocked beyond words…" muttered Lampo.

"I was wrong, G. I thought you were our friend and yet you never told Giotto and I about this," said Cozart sadly as he shook his head.

"C-Cozart! Stop being ridiculous! I didn't even know this myself! Giotto, tell him!" said G. Giotto's smile was a little bit too wide.

"That's right, Cozart! G didn't know! And even if he did, I don't think he would have told us! Let's not bother him with our friendship!" said Giotto as both he and Cozart placed an arm around each other and stuck their tongues out childishly at G.

"Sometimes, I don't even know why I'm friends with these two…" muttered G. He turned back to Shoichi who was trying his best not to laugh.

"What happened to her? Is she still alive?" asked G, his eyes wide with hope. Shoichi shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately, no. Lavina died in a accident when Hayato was 4 years old. Her death had a giant impact on him as he was rather close to her," said Shoichi. He held out his device and scanned through the contents.

"Apparently, Lavina was forced to marry Hayato's step-dad after his first wife passed away. She could not refuse the offer at all," said Shoichi with a frown on his face.

"Why not?" asked G.

"Because Hayato's step-dad threatened her. G, you were not the only one who loved her. Hayato's step-dad so happened overheard her piano playing once day and fell in love with her. Not wanting to get rejected by her, he forced her to leave you alone and marry him," said Shoichi, his face uncomfortable. G growled.

"I'm sure you all know that illegitimate children are not tolerated in the mafia. Hayato's step-dad told her that he would ruin Hayato's future if she refused his offer. In the end, she accepted under the condition that her husband would keep everything a secret and that he would treat Hayato well, something he agreed to happily," said Shoichi with a nod.

"What a good thing that man is dead. I would have gone after him if he was still alive…" growled G as he clicked his hand gun in a menacing way. Shoichi squeaked and hid behind Spanner. Giotto patted his friend gently. Despite his deep hatred for Hayato's step-dad, G smiled.

"Well, now I know where Hayato gets his short temper and smoking habits from…" muttered Dino. Romario nodded.

"Asari Ugetsu, did you know that Yamamoto Tsuyoshi was a distant cousin of yours. This actually makes Takeshi your distant nephew," announced Spanner absent-mindedly. Asari laughed joyfully.

"So we are related in a way! This is amazing!" cheered Asari. Knuckle nodded and the two men high fived.

"Well, unfortunately for Takeshi, he inherited your idiotic brain," muttered G as he shook his head. Asari laughed.

"Lampo has a more dramatic history with Lambo," said Spanner unexpectedly. Everyone eyed Lampo suspiciously.

"That's right. Long ago, Lampo knocked up the only heiress of the Bovino family and made her pregnant with a son just like G. As soon as the girl knew she was pregnant, she went searching for Lampo but he had disappeared. The time came when she gave birth to her son. Unfortunately for her, she passed away during the birth, leaving Lambo into her father's care. That is why the Bovino boss had a grudge against Lampo. The weird part was that he adored Lambo," recited Shoichi. Everyone glared at Lampo who was sweating bullets.

"Tut tut…Nufufu…how terrible, Lampo…And yet when we asked, you denied…" said Daemon menacingly, his weapon glinting evily in the light.

"Lampo, how could you?" asked Giotto as he shook his head. Lampo opened his mouth but no words came out.

"Should we be celebrating?" asked Asari. Knuckle shrugged his shoulders.

"Kids these days…" said G as he shook his head.

"W-Wait! Let me explain! I-I didn't leave her! I-I didn't even know she was pregnant! If I had known, I would have er…done something!" said Lampo defensively. Cozart shook his head, a mischievous grin on his face.

"If you don't believe me, I have proof! See, I take really good care of Lambo!" yelled Lampo. Giotto smiled and nodded. After all, he knew that Lampo did care for Lambo. Even now, the look in Lampo's eyes told Giotto that he was happy.

"Ahem…Knuckle, did you know that Ryohei's mother was your cousin?" asked Shoichi as he held up a photo of a woman.

"OHH! SHE'S NOT MY COUSIN! SHE'S MY SISTER!" roared Knuckle cheerfully. Shoichi blinked and looked at his notes again.

"M-My bad. It says here, sister. Then you should have known that Ryohei was related to you, right?" said Shoichi. Knuckle laughed.

"OF COURSE NOT! My sister disappeared a long time ago. She was the black sheep of the family and one day, my parents disowned her. I really have no memory of her," said Knuckle calmly.

"What a heartless younger brother…" said G as he shook his head sadly. Giotto nodded.

"What a pleasant surprise!" laughed Asari. Daemon shook his head. Shoichi sweatdropped. Dino chuckled. Cozart shook his head.

"BUT THIS IS GREAT NEWS! SPECTACULAR! AMAZING! RYOHEI IS MY NEPHEW!" roared Knuckle, his eyes burning with passion. Giotto and G sighed. Once an idiot, always an idiot.

"What about Alaude? Does he have a messed up relationship with Kyoya too?" joked Giotto, earning a death glare from his cloud guardian.

"E-Er…Actually, yes. He does. Kyoya is actually Alaude's son," announced Shoichi. The whole room went silent. Daemon almost choked. Alaude for once, looked speechless.

"Explain, herbivore," growled the skylark. Shoichi nodded fearfully.

"According to this report, Alaude erm…had a erm…girlfriend as well. Apparently, she was the only person that had managed to attract his attention. She too was a loner and loved picking fights with people," said Shoichi awkwardly. He had never felt so awkward in his life.

As everybody was too busy being confused, no one noticed that Alaude's face had turned gentle. It looked like he was starting to remember his woman.

"But we saw Kyoya's memories through the pacifier. It clearly showed a woman with her husband. The child's name was even called Kyoya's! I mean, that Purple Pacifier responded to the baby in the womb!" said Giotto. Shoichi smiled.

"That's because that baby is not Hibari Kyoya," said Shoichi.

"HUH?" echoed everybody in the room. Shoichi sweatdropped and thought of a method in which he could explain without causing confusion.

"You see, Kyoya's mother had a twin sister. During the time when Kyoya's mother was pregnant with him, her sister was also expecting a baby. Unlike her sister, the woman you saw in that memory had already picked out a name for her son," said Shoichi slowly. The grown-up's nodded slowly, their brains digesting the new information. Alaude on the other hand looked like he already understood what had happened because his eyes became ice cold.

"Unfortunately for Kyoya's aunt, her son died during childbirth. At the same time, this Kyoya was delivered safely but under one casualty: his mother passed away." said Shoichi slowly. The adults nodded.

"As Kyoya's mother had cut all contact from Alaude, her sister had to take her son in. Sensing a small bit of hope, that woman decided to name her sister's son Hibari Kyoya, in place of her dead baby. However, her hopes were dashed when she realized that the pacifier had chosen her nephew as the next holder. Filled with grief and anger, she decided to abandon the child and thus, Kyoya's adopted brother," announced Shoichi. The adults blinked twice.

"According to this, Alaude actually went on a search for Kyoya's mother, not knowing that she had died during childbirth. Eventually, Alaude gave up," said Spanner. The adults eyed Alaude with sympathy.

"Oya oya…to think I was actually right. You are actually Kyoya's father, his real father," mused Daemon. Alaude glared coldly at him.

"Welcome to the club, Alaude. We're all pretty messed up!" said Giotto. Alaude ignored him.

"What about Daemon?" asked G as he started expecting some kind of weird relationship with his kids. To his surprise, Shoichi shook his head.

"Daemon is the only one who had no relation to his children. I don't know why…" replied Shoichi. Daemon looked crestfallen. Giotto patted his guardian with sympathy.

"Nufufu…No matter…I wouldn't like to related to those two dog-of-a-parent anyway. I'm just fine with how I am now," said Daemon with a sadistic grin.

"I never knew you were all so messed up…" said Cozart as he shook his head. Giotto nodded his head. No wonder Byakuran was surprised.

"Well, then. Let's have a party tonight!" cheered Asari. Knuckle nodded.

"Why not? This is something worth celebrating, especially for G, Lampo and Alaude. Let's party!" said Giotto excitedly. G scowled. Alaude growled and Lampo whimpered.

"I don't like crowding…" muttered the skylark before walking out of the room.

**WITH THE KIDS**

"ACHOO!" sneezed Hayato, Takeshi, Kyoya, Ryohei and Lambo at the same time. The children looked at each other suspiciously.

"I think someone is talking about us…" growled Hayato as he fiddled with his Vongola box.

"If they do, I'll bite them to death," said Kyoya coldly, his tonfa's raised.

"Now, now! It could be a common cold!" laughed Takeshi.

"EXTREME RUNNING!" roared Ryohei as he started running around the room.

"GYAHHH! I FEEL SICK!" yelled Lambo who had been grabbed by Ryohei and was now forced to run.

The doors slammed open and Giotto and his guardians marched in.

"GOOD DAY KIDS! WE'LL BE HAVING A GRAND PARTY TONIGHT!" yelled Giotto cheerfully.

"Grow up, Giotto," sighed G who was now studying Hayato. Well, he did look like Lavina. He even played the piano. Why didn't he realize before?

"Now, Now! We have a reason to be cheerful!" laughed Asari as he waved merrily at Takeshi who in return did the same.

"EXTREME! COME MY DEAR NEPHEW! LET US RUN DRAMATICALLY INTO THE SETTING SUN!" yelled Knuckle. Ryohei nodded enthusiastically.

"Yare, yare…" sighed Lambo and Lampo at the same time.

"Herbivores…" growled Alaude coldly. Kyoya was eyeing his family coldly. How he hated crowding.

"I always knew Uncle Giotto was a little off…" whispered Julie as he and his siblings peeked from the next training hall. Adelheid nodded.

"Well, as they say, the most amazing men are also the weirdest!" said Cozart merrily while patting his son lovingly on the head.

**DONE! Well, I am sorry to say that I cannot update as often as I want to in the near future because school is starting. :( I hate school.**

**Please review like always! Ciao!**

**P.S Please forgive my typo errors. Hehe. :D**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU! Nastume Yuujinchou Shi is out! Not only that, the episode where Naruto's going to meet his mother is also going to come out! Yes! I've been waiting for that season for a very long time! Yipeeee!XD **

***Ahem*...Anyway, back to topic, thank you all so much for your reviews! I am curious to know who will be the 200****th**** reviewer. :)**

**P.S Yes, Lampo did it really young. **

**Here's Chapter 10!**

Chapter 10: Talbot Arrives

"Lambo, did you ever live with the Bovino family before?" asked Giotto. Lambo who was playing with his Vongola ring looked at his uncle boredly. Beside him, Hayato was busy scribbling down on a piece of paper while examining his box with great concentration. Kyoya was stroking Hibird gently on his head. Takeshi was chewing his breakfast with a cheery grin on his face. Ryohei was doing his daily push-up's. Mukuro was in the infirmary; his sister was still out unconscious.

The adults in the room which consisted of Lampo, G, Alaude and Asari immediately looked up from whatever they were doing. G and Alaude were glaring at Giotto, something their target deliberately ignored.

Lambo continued eyeing his uncle suspiciously. He looked at Lampo who was now fidgeting uncomfortably and a huge question mark appeared on top of his face. The adults had been acting strange ever since they had that talk with Shoichi.

"Yes I did. Though I don't really remember much about it. I just remembered running away from the headquarters that day," replied Lambo. Giotto nodded with interest.

"Did your boss ever tell you who your parents were?" asked G. Lambo scratched his head and nodded.

"He told me that my mother was the most beautiful woman in the world and that I take a lot after her," said Lambo proudly. Giotto looked at Lampo with arched eyebrows and looked back at Lambo.

"How about your father? Did he say anything about him?" continued G. Lambo nodded.

"He said he was an idiot. He told me that if he ever saw him, he would put bullets in his head," said Lambo with a shrug. Lampo gulped inaudibly. G snickered evilly.

"Why are you asking such suspicious questions? Do you know my father?" asked Lambo suspiciously.

Giotto nodded his head sympathetically. "Oh yes, Lambo. I know your father. Let's just say he was, and I emphasize on the was, a great man," replied Giotto. Lambo sighed.

"It's too bad. I would have loved to meet him," muttered Lambo before going back to playing with his Vongola ring. The adults eyed Lampo critically. Lampo himself looked away innocently.

"How about you, Hayato? How were your parents like?" asked Asari with a grin on his face.

"Hah?" replied Hayato as he tore his eyes away from his paper. He looked at the adults with a blur expression on his face. All he had heard was 'Hayato' and 'like'. He blinked blurly at his uncles.

"How was your mother and father like?" asked Giotto as he grinned evilly at G who glared back at him. Hayato arched an eyebrow.

"My mother died when I was 4. I just remember her as a beautiful lady with beautiful fingers," replied Hayato gruffly. "Here. I have a picture of her," said Hayato as he pulled out a picture of Lavina from his back pocket. Giotto took the picture carefully and examined the photo. Despite being faded and quite torn in a few places, the woman in the photo still looked beautiful. G was looking at the photo with gentle eyes.

"How about your father?" asked Giotto as he returned the photo back to Hayato who slipped it back into his back pocket. Hayato frowned as he thought about the question.

"Well, I didn't really know him well. All I can tell you is that he much preferred my sister. He would occasionally pat me on my head though…He died in the end," said Hayato. At that moment, Lampo had decided to clear his throat. G smacked him hard on the head.

"What about you, Ryohei? How was your mother like?" asked G hurriedly.

"SHE WAS AN EXTREMELY PRETTY WOMAN!" roared Ryohei proudly. Giotto covered his ears.

"Did she have a brother or sister?" asked Asari cheerfully. Ryohei scratched his head and shook his head.

"She told me that they were all gone. It was extremely sad," replied Ryohei with a nod.

'_Knuckle you idiot…'_ thought G as he shook his head.

"Kyoya, do you remember your parents?" asked Asari. Kyoya looked at the wall coldly.

"No. I have no need to remember those herbivores," replied Kyoya coldly. Giotto eyed Alaude with pity in his eyes. Alaude himself didn't seem disturbed. After all, Kyoya didn't know that the woman who abandoned him was not his mother.

"Takeshi, how about you? Did your father have any relatives?" asked Asari cheerfully.

"Nope. Pops always told me that the Yamamoto clan had been wiped out a long time ago. He also told me that I was the only hope of making a new generation," laughed Takeshi. Asari joined him.

"What are kids being told these days?" muttered G with a shake of his head. Giotto chuckled.

"Why the sudden questions?" asked Hayato suspiciously. He was twirling his pencil in his hand. The adults shook their heads. They had broken into cold sweat.

Before Hayato could ask another question, the door burst open and Knuckle ran in.

"SHE'S AWAKE! LAL MIRCH IS EXTREMELY AWAKEEEEE!" roared the Sun Guardian enthusiastically. Behind him, Fuuta had covered his ears.

"HOORAYYY! EXTREME AWAKE!" yelled Ryohei with tears in his eyes. G sighed.

"That's great news! I'll go see her now!" cheered Giotto as he got up from his chair and ran out the door before anyone could say 'Wait'.

**IN THE INFIRMARY**

Lal Mirch was sitting upright in her hospital bed, a pacifier in hand. Her face had been wiped clean from any emotions. The pacifier she held in her hand was her own pacifier, the corrupted one. Her fingers clutched the pacifier tightly.

'_Hey, failed Arcobaleno, let me tell you a secret! The Arcobaleno Colonello and Viper were just recently killed by Byakuran-sama! Their pacifiers are already in the Milliefiore base! Now we need the remaining few…" said Glo Xinia as Lal Mirch stared at the man with wide eyes, eyes that showed disbelief._

'_Colonello…'_ thought Lal Mirch as she closed her eyes, her tears threatening to spill out. She brought the pacifier closer to her.

'_There's no need for you to become an Arcobaleno, Lal! You may not be able to handle the change later on!' _ replayed a voice in her head that was so familiar to her. Lal felt regret fill her whole body.

The door slammed open and in walked Giotto with a gentle smile on his face. Lal hurriedly kept her pacifier and hastily wiped her eyes.

"Vongola Primo…how may I help you? As you can see, I'm not much use for now," said Lal flatly. Giotto smiled and sat on the chair beside her bed. In the far corner of the room, he could see Daemon and Mukuro sitting beside Chrome's bed with anxious expressions on their faces.

"I know what happened out there. Fuuta explained it to us but I still needed to hear it from you," said Giotto seriously. Lal's eyes hardened.

"If Fuuta told you, then there is no need for me to explain anymore. What he saw was what had happened," replied Lal with a turn of her head. Giotto smiled pleasantly, his eyes filled with pity.

"I heard that Colonello died. I'm sorry," said Giotto gently. Tears welled up at Lal Mirch's eyes. Hearing it from another person made it worst. She rubbed her eyes again.

"It's his fault. I always told him that he was going to get it one day. That fool," muttered Lal as she clenched her fist.

"I'm sorry to ask you this, Lal but Fuuta told me that you fell onto the ground halfway and was screaming in pain. What happened?" asked Giotto. Lal stared at the three illusionists for a minute before turning back to Giotto.

"It was the anti-Tri-Ni-Sette radiation rays. That's what killed Colonello and Mammon. Because I am part Arcobaleno, I can still feel the effects of these rays. I would have been dead if Fuuta didn't rush me back here. Sawada was right. It really happened," whispered Lal, her hands shaking.

"Glo said that the pacifiers were at the Milliefiore headquarters. Those murderers are going to do anything to get their hands on the objects of the Tri-Ni-Sette. That's why Uni disappeared," said Lal, her vision red with fury.

"Well, he's not getting my part of the Tri-Ni-Sette," said Giotto firmly. Lal's mouth curved into a small smile.

"He'd better not. If he does, I will kill you, Primo," growled Lal seriously. Giotto gulped and nodded. She could be scary when she wanted to.

"That's all I need from you for now. Get some rest, Lal. The faster you heal, the earlier you get to hit some Milliefiore goons," said Giotto encouragingly as he stood up and headed for the door. Lal nodded and closed her eyes.

"By the way, Lal. Don't step out of the base for the time-being. Wait till Giannini has created a device that will be able to protect you from the radiation waves, you understand?" asked Giotto, his voice filled with authority. Lal snorted.

"Do I look like I have a choice, Primo?" called Lal's voice before Giotto shut the door quietly.

"GIOTTO! There you are!" yelled G as Giotto headed for his study. He stopped mid-way and looked at his friend.

"What is it, G? Did someone get injured?" asked Giotto, his face filled with concern. G shook his head.

"I have good news, very good news and bad news. Which one first?" asked G with a sigh.

"The bad news."

"Alright. The bad news is that the Arcobaleno Skull and Verde have been killed off. According to Alaude, it was a hit straight to the heart," said G with disgust on his face. Giotto growled.

"So it's two left, eh?" muttered Giotto. The Arcobaleno Reborn and Uni were the only ones left. "What's the good news?"

"The good news is that Shoichi and Spanner have successfully created an invisible barrier around Tsuna's grave. Now, he can rest in peace without worrying about being kidnapped," said G. Giotto broke into a smile and made a metal note to thank the two mechanics later.

"Hold it. I have even netter news. Talbot has arrived with a young woman. Giannini says that they will most probably reach the base in 5 minutes," announced G. Giotto grinned.

**5 MINUTES LATER AT THE DORRWAY**

"So how do you think Talbot will look like after all these years?" asked Takeshi with mild interest on his face. Hayato sighed.

"He'd most probably look the same as always. Unless, he finally got rid of that blindfold of his…" replied Hayato.

"Who's Talbot?" asked Dino and Enma at the same time.

"He's the Vongola-Weapon-Ring guy. His weapons are pretty impressive. He was the one who created the Vongola Rings, the Mare Rings and the Shimon Rings," replied Cozart cheerfully.

"I heard Byakuran tried to make persuade Talbot into working with him. It was a failure. Talbot stuck his tongue out and was soon on the run. Along the way, he the Poison Scorpion and the both of them started looking for the Vongola base," said G.

"Poison Scorpion? You mean he teamed up with a scorpion?" asked Hayato as a picture of Talbot and a scorpion appeared in his head. G snorted.

"Of course not. The Poison Scorpion is a girl that kills anyone with her poisonous cooking. She's quite feared in the mafia world. She was trained by the Arcobaleno Reborn," said G. Hayato frowned. Poisonous cooking? Why did this sound so familiar?

"Poison Scorpion? I've heard about her. She took out the Falco Family out two years ago. It was a one person job," muttered Dino with a frown.

"He's here! Talbot is here! I'll be opening the door now!" cheered Giannini as he pressed a button. The door slowly opened and in walked Talbot and his companion.

"Vongola Primo! Long time no see!" said Talbot with a grin. He dropped his big bag of tools and shook hands with Giotto.

"Talbot! It's been a while. I'm so glad you found our base!" cheered Giotto as he returned the handshake. Talbot grinned.

"Couldn't have done it without my companion here! She's bright! Come on, Poison Scorpion, take off your mask!" laughed Talbot. The girl sighed and did as she was told, almost causing Hayato to faint in terror when she did.

"B-B-BIG S-S-SISTER?" shrieked Hayato as he fell onto the floor, his eyes almost popping out of the sockets. The girl that stood in front of him had long pink hair and had a tattoo of a scorpion on her upper left arm. She looked down at Hayato and smiled, her eyes filled with tears.

"Hayato. It's been a long time. I've missed you so much!" said Bianchi as she pulled her younger brother into an embrace. Hayato was too shocked to say anything. He was practically petrified.

"Hayato's step-sister eh?" muttered G quietly. Giotto nodded. Who knew?

"B-B-B-But…b-b-but…you died!" stammered Hayato, his eyes avoiding his elder sister's eyes. Bianchi smiled and patted him on the cheek.

"You thought I did. I was only critically wounded. I would have died if Reborn didn't help me! Ah Reborn…." sighed Bianchi as her cheeks turned red. However, her eyes grew sad as she remembered that Reborn was now missing. Hayato stared at her, his mouth gaping open like a fish.

"It's alright, Hayato. I've been watching you from afar. I know you found yourself a wonderful family. I'm happy for you," said Bianchi with a smile on her face. Hayato blushed.

"That's why we should celebrate. I've made a bento for everyone. Please help yourselves!" announced Bianchi as she whipped out boxes of packed food from her bag. A deadly aura was being emitted from her food. An innocently housefly that was just passing by fell onto the floor suddenly. When it was later examined, the death was found to be from breathing in poisonous gas. Everyone stepped back.

Hayato's face turned blue and he suddenly fell to the floor, his hands clutching his stomach. He had suddenly remembered his childhood.

"H-Hayato! What's wrong?" asked G worriedly. Hayato grabbed his father's shoulder with whatever energy he had left.

"B-Big sister…food…terrible…die…" gasped Hayato as his stomach churned. A few minutes later, he fainted. G picked his son up and rushed him to the infirmary with Knuckle running behind him.

"Ah Hayato…Always so shy…He must be so happy to see me after all these years…" said Bianchi with a smile on her face, not noticing the others had quietly stepped a lot of steps back. Takeshi laughed. He remembered this girl.

"Hohoho! This was unexpected! I didn't know those two were related! This is fantastic!" laughed Talbot.

'_More like terribly horrifying…' _gulped Giotto as he eyed the bento boxes with wary eyes.

'_F-Food that can k-kill in one bite…' _gulped Dino in fear. Enma was hiding fearfully behind him. Cozart took a few steps back.

"I should go and see how Hayato's doing. He was so glad to see me…" said Bianchi before turning around and walking off.

"I nearly peed in my pants…" muttered Cozart fearfully. It was shameful. A young girl had scared the lights out of them. Giotto shook his head.

"I wonder why Hayato fainted…" wondered Asari. Everyone else nodded.

"Hayato told Tsuna and I that when he was younger, his sister would make him try out all of her cooking. He said that whenever he sees her, he would get stomach aches," laughed Takeshi.

'_What a sad childhood…'_ thought Giotto and Cozart at the same time. At that moment, a loud crash happened.

"ROMEO! YOU DARE SHOW ME YOUR FACE? I'LL KILL YOU!" yelled Bianchi's voice from the living room. A yelp was heard and in a few minutes, both Lambo and Lampo ran out of the room with Bianchi hot on their tails. She was carrying a purple looking cake that smelled like death. Her eyes were red with anger.

"HELPPPP MEEEEE!" screamed Lampo fearfully. "GYAHHH!" screamed Lambo.

"You're not getting away! Take that!" yelled Bianchi as she threw the cake she was holding with accurate speed and strength. The cake flew pass Giotto and hit the wall behind him. A loud sizzling sound was heard and everyone turned around.

"T-T-The wall! T-T-The wall is b-being…." gasped Giotto. Smoke was rising from the wall. Everyone stood around and gaped at the hole. Some of them even took a few steps back from the wall. Her cooking was that poisonous.

"AHH! The wall! Spanner! Quick! We've got to fix it!" yelled Shoichi. Spanner nodded and soon, both boys were already grabbing their materials and were trying their best to fix the wall.

"I almost got hit by tha—what the heck happened to the wall?" asked G who had just arrived on the spot. Giotto shook his head.

"Don't ask…"

"Hayato told me that Bianchi had a best friend called Romeo but he kind of betrayed her because he was passing information about her family to enemy mafia family. Well, he died a very slow and painful death… Unfortunately for Lambo and Lampo, he looked exactly like the both of them…" said G sadly. Giotto shook his head.

"I'll bite them to death for creating a ruckus…" growled Kyoya before stalking off.

"I'm right behind you, Kyoya," said Alaude's cold voice before he too walked off.

"EXTREME RUNNING!" roared Ryohei as he charged off happily.

"Us too, dad! Let's go!" yelled Takeshi cheerfully. Asari nodded and soon, both father and son were off.

"G! We've got to stop them! The base will be in trouble if they keep this up!" yelled Giotto in panic before running off with his best friend.

"You guess go back to the training hall. I'll help them out!" called Cozart before running off. Enma and Dino nodded.

Talbot watched the scene and smiled.

**IN THE INFRIMARY**

"Big sister…" muttered Hayato. He clutched his stomach and winced. He looked at the bed beside him. Lal Mirch was looking at her pacifier with a dazed expression on her face. Chrome who was already awake was eating her lunch politely. Her father and brother who had waited for her to wake up were now in their rooms, asleep. Knuckle had left the room.

"ROMEOOO! YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!" roared Bianchi as Hayato heard her footsteps run past the infirmary. Lampo's shriek of horror and Lambo's scream went past the infirmary. Hayato sighed. Why couldn't Lambo and Lampo stay in their rooms? Other footsteps followed them. Lal Mirch sighed.

The door opened and Talbot walked in.

"Hey there, Lal Mirch, young master Hayato and young mistress Chrome!" greeted Talbot pleasantly. Lal Mirch nodded in acknowledgement. Hayato grumbled. Chrome bowed her head.

"I received your letter, Lal. Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Talbot, his voice filled with concern. Lal Mirch nodded.

"Give me 2 more days and I'll be ready to go. I spoke to Giannini just now and he said he would have my gear ready," replied Lal seriously. Talbot sighed.

"Ready for what?" asked Hayato painfully. Lal Mirch looked at critically.

"It's nothing. Don't get yourself involved," replied Lal coldly.

"What the heck are you planning to do?" growled Hayato impatiently. Lal Mirch shot him a glare.

"She's planning to break into the Milliefiore base to get rid of the Funeral Wreaths," sighed Talbot. Lal Mirch turned her glare at him.

"Funeral Wreaths? Who is that?" asked Hayato curiously.

"The Funeral Wreaths are made up of six people, all holding different types of flames. Their names are Glo Xinia, the holder of the Rain Mare ring, Genkishi, holder of the Mist ring, Rasiel, holder of the Storm ring, Gingerbread, holder of the Sun ring and Dendro Chilum, holder of the lightning ring. If you include Byakuran himself, you get six. Fortunately for us, Chrome took out one on her own," said Lal with a nod.

"If we can defeat all of these people, we will have a chance of defeating Byakuran," said Talbot seriously. Hayato frowned and sat up.

"When are you going, Lal?" asked Hayato, his face serious. Lal Mirch eyed him suspiciously.

"2 days from now."

"I'll come with you," said Hayato determinedly. Lal snorted.

"Of course not! You're just a kid! Besides, G would never allow you to go!" said Lal. Hayato growled.

"Shut up! I can handle on my own! Stop treating me like a child!" replied Hayato. "I will get the man that killed my brother!" said Hayato determinedly. Lal Mirch examined him.

"Count me in as well," said a timid voice. Lal turned around and Chrome was standing beside her bed, her trident in hand. "For Tsuna…" whispered Chrome, her ring glittering under the light.

"I will hunt that herbivore down. I'll be going, whether you like it or not," said a cold voice. Lal Mirch turned to the doorway and Kyoya stood there, his arms crossed. Behind him, Takeshi smiled and nodded but his eyes were dead serious. Ryohei nodded enthusiastically.

"Can I not come?" squeaked a voice. Lambo had somehow managed to escape Bianchi and had somehow crawled his way into the infirmary.

"You have to or I'll bite you to death!" said Kyoya, his tonfa in hand. Lambo gulped and nodded.

"Kufufu…making plans without me, are you now?" said an eerie voice. Mukuro was now standing beside his sister, scaring the heck out of Lambo for suddenly appearing out of nowhere.

"What about your father's? They'll be worried sick!" argued Lal. Everyone looked at uncomfortably.

"They'll understand…we're doing this for them too. Talbot, please keep it a secret," muttered Hayato. Talbot nodded.

Lal Mirch growled. With everyone looking at her with those eyes, she had no say in anything.

"Alright. But I'll give you brats two days to train. If you're not ready by then, you can stay home, you understand?" barked Lal Mirch. Everyone nodded seriously. Talbot smiled happily.

"W-We'll help out…and make sure your father's only find out on that day.." said Shoichi as he appeared from the doorway. Spanner nodded. "We hacked into their computer system and managed to get the blueprints of the whole base," muttered Spanner. Lal Mirch eyed in with impressed eyes.

"That settles it! I'll go make some helpful gear for all of you! See you in two days!" called Talbot before walking out.

"Listen up! The enemy's you'll be facing will be at a very high level! If you fail at protecting yourselves, you die. Understand?" said Lal Mirch. Everyone nodded. Kyoya grinned sadistically. He was finally going to bite the man who killed his brother to death. Even Mukuro looked excited. Hayato gulped and looked at his box weapon. This was not going to be easy.

At the doorway, unbeknownst to everyone, Bianchi had heard their whole conversation and was smiling to herself. "You've grown up, Hayato…" sighed Bianchi proudly.

**SOMEWHERE IN ITALY**

"Uncle Reborn, they're going to do it…I've seen it happen. They'll be breaking into the Milliefiore base in two days," said a girl's voice. She sounded worried and tired. She looked at the person standing in front of her.

"I know, Uni. I had a feeling they would do something like this…"

Uni smiled. "Will you please go and help them, Reborn? You're the only one that can help them," begged Uni. Reborn was silent for a moment before pulling his fedora down. A few minutes later, he nodded his head. Uni breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come, Leon. It's time to go to work, just like the old days," said the tall figure in a low voice as he walked out of the hiding spot and walked slowly to his destination. He smiled to himself. "It's good to be back to my old self again."

**DONE! ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! I really should stop doing that. Anyways, the next chapter will be the break in into the Milliefiore base. **

**P.S Should I add Gamma in? Tell me if you want him in. Until then, CIAO!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! Yipee! It's now over 200+ reviews for this story! *fireworks exploding*. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I sincerely bow my head to you guys! Arigato!**

**This week's Reborn chapter made me feel so sorry for Byakuran. I mean, I'm sure some of you did feel sorry for him, right?**

**Anyways, here's Chapter 11!**

Chapter 11: Operation: Sneak Into The Milliefiore.

"Watch out! Incoming!" yelled Hayato before a loud boom echoed throughout the whole training room. Everyone in the room barely had time to brace themselves for the impact.

"Kufufu…and you told me that I was suicidal…"chuckled an eerie voice once the smoke cleared up. Mukuro shook his head at Hayato while Chrome coughed.

"Herbivore, I will bite you to death if you do that again!" growled the skylark as he raised his steel tonfa's threateningly.

"Hahaha! That was fun!"laughed Takeshi cheerfully, his katana raised protectively in front of him.

"EXTREME EXPLOSION! DO IT AGAIN!"roared Ryohei enthusiastically as he started punching the air.

"Good thing I had this pot…" muttered Lambo. He patted the steel pot on his head and went back to sleep on the cold floor.

"H-Hayato…p-please c-control yourself!" squeaked Shoichi as his eyes looked around the training hall, expecting to see some type of damage but seeing none.

"My butt…"muttered Enma as he massaged his butt. He had been flung in the air during the explosion and had fallen on his backside. It was not so pleasant.

"S-Sorry! I accidentally shot this," replied Hayato sheepishly. Even so, he admired his newly found weapon with awe and love. It was so cool.

"A-Anyway, it's about time all of you went to bed…You know…for tomorrow?" said Shoichi as he looked around nervously and dropped his voice. The room went deadly silent as everyone nodded.

"Enma, why are you coming along with us?" asked Takeshi pleasantly. Enma shrugged his shoulders.

"I guess it's because I feel like I need to…for Tsuna…" replied the red-head before walking out of the hall and disappearing into the corridors.

One by one, all of them left the training hall, their weapons sharpened and their bodies tired. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

**WITH HAYATO**

"What the heck was that explosion just now?" asked G curiously the moment Hayato walked into his room. G was in the middle of writing down some notes on a piece of paper.

"Nothing. Lambo tripped and fell just now. He dropped some of his grenades," lied Hayato smoothly. Even so, he could feel his heart beating twice as hard as it normally did. G arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

With a shrug, Hayato walked over to the clothes cupboard and took out his night clothes. Within a few minutes, he was already changed and ready to go to bed.

"Meow…" purred Uri as he rubbed his head against G's leg. G smiled and stroked the cat with extreme gentleness.

"Oii Uri! Why do you like the old man? I'm your owner!"hissed Hayato, his face annoyed. Uri stuck his tongue out and continued rubbing his head.

"It's not his fault. You are a terrible owner," smirked the Storm guardian at his son. Hayato felt a vein twitch in his forehead.

"You jerk of a father," growled Hayato with his tongue stuck out.

"You jerk of a son," replied G as he copied his son. Both father and son glared at each other. The clock struck 10.

"Tch! I'm going to bed. Uri! Remember what I told you. Goodnight!" called Hayato as he climbed onto the second bunker of the bed and pulled his covers over his body. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take over him.

"Hayato…"said G quietly. Hayato's eyes snapped open.

"What is it, old man?" growled Hayato.

"We need to have a talk…" continued G without looking up from his papers.

"Aren't we talking?"

"Not that type of talk. Those type of talks!"

"Hah?"

G sighed. He hated how much he felt uncomfortably whenever he brought up the top. The minutes ticked by as G thought of a method to explain his relationship with his son.

"You see, Hayato—"started G after spending 10 minutes to muster up his courage and another 10 minutes to think of a way to explain it. He turned around to look at his son only to find him deeply asleep. G sighed as he walked over to the bed he shared with his only son.

"Goodnight, Hayato. I'll tell you about it soon…my son…" muttered G to himself before returning to his desk to start his writing process.

**THE NEXT DAY**

Yamamoto Takeshi was trying his best not to wake his father up. At 3 in the morning, he had gotten up thanks to Kojirou, his swallow and had climbed down from the second bunker as silently as he could. Asari being a light-sleeper was no help at all. Takeshi nearly had a heart attack when Asari turned in his sleep at one point. With hurried speed, he grabbed his clothes, brushed his teeth and grabbed his katana that was lying in the corner of the room.

"Goodbye, dad. I promise to come home," whispered Takeshi before shutting the door quietly with Jirou and Kojirou with him. Once he was outside the room, he hurriedly ran to the main entrance where Kyoya, the twins, Hayato, Enma and Ryohei were already waiting with their pets and weapons.

Hayato was dressed in a normal T-shirt and jeans with a belt around his waist. On his belt hung 16 boxes. He was even wearing skull rings on one hand and of course, his Vongola Ring. Lal Mirch had emphasized on the fact that their survival depended heavily on their rings.

Kyoya was dressed in a white long sleeved shirt with a jacket hanging from his shoulders. He also wore long black pants and boots. "Kyoya! Kyoya!" chirped Hibird cheerfully as it circled itself once around Kyoya's head before landing gently on his shoulder. Roll was sleeping soundly in his owner's pocket.

Mukuro and Chrome were dressed almost identically. Mukuro wore a white shirt underneath his indigo colored jacket with pants that reached his knee height. His boots looked just like what Daemon would wear. He was clutching his trident tightly. Like her brother. Chrome too held a trident in her hands. She was wearing an indigo shirt with a red jacket. Her skirt was knee length and was also indigo in color. She too was wearing boots. A large white snowy owl was perched on her shoulder.

Ryohei was wearing something a little bit plainer than the rest. Being a boxer, most of his clothing involved singlets and a jacket with some shorts. Just like any normal day, he was dressed in the same attire. His jacket which bore the Vongola Crest was chosen along with a white singlet and his blue shorts. Kangaryu was dressed in protective gear as well.

Enma of the Shimon family was leaning against the wall, his eyes tired. He was dressed a normal T-shirt with a hoodie jacket for protection against the cold. He wore his normal baggy pants and his white shoes. His Shimon ring hung loosely from the chain around his neck. He looked nervous.

"P-Please don't hurt me!" came a piteous voice. All of them looked at the two newcomers. It was Lambo and Lal Mirch. She was dragging him by his ear.

"Oh good, all of you are here!" barked Lal as she released Lambo's ear. She looked at her watch and sighed impatiently.

"Good morning, everyone!" called a cheerful voice. Shoichi, Spanner, Dino and Giannini were approaching them.

"SHOICHI! YOU'RE LATE! I TOLD YOU TO MEET US HERE AT 3: 45 AND IT'S ALREADY 3: 46! EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" yelled Lal impatiently, causing Shoichi to shrink back in fear.

"Now, now, Lal! Calm down! You'll wake the rest!" whispered Dino with his goofy smile.

"R-Right. A-Anyway, here is the map of the base! The surveillance cameras will be situated here, here, here, here, there, there, here and there so please be careful! Here, I've created these for the cameras! Just place them over the lens and it'll do the rest!" said Shoichi. Lal nodded.

"And here are your communication devices. Keep them on the whole time so we can contact you. You'll be able to use them no matter where you are," said Spanner as he handed out earpieces to everyone. Without wasting time, they placed them into their ears.

"Before you go, Enma, Talbot told me to hand this to you," said Dino as he produced a pair of gloves from his pocket. Enma took them and nodded his head gratefully.

"Best be off! You'll want to reach the place before sunrise," said Shoichi. He looked at the group and gulped nervously. "Good luck and be safe."

"Call us if you have any trouble. We'll be here for you," said Dino with a wary grin on his face. He patted each one of them on the shoulder.

"Dino, could you…?" asked Hayato as he eyed the inside of the base. Dino nodded his head.

"Of course. I'll deal with them. Don't worry," said the Chiavarone boss with an easy going grin.

"I have brought someone who wants to follow," said a cool voice. Bianchi and Gamma walked out of the base, Bianchi with her goggles and Gamma in his fighting attire.

"He insists that he has to join the fight," said Bianchi as she folded her arms. Gamma nodded firmly.

"I will bring this man down…for the princess and for Giglio Nero…" said Gamma as he clutched his weapon tightly.

"Hayato, be safe…"whispered Bianchi as she patted Hayato gently on his head. Hayato's face turned as red as a tomato.

"I'll lead all of you to the opening of the base. Follow me," said Bianchi calmly. Lal nodded and with one last wave, they disappeared into the forest and out of sight.

"They'll come back…I'm sure of it…" said Dino confidently. Shoichi smiled and nodded.

**WITH LAL MIRCH AND CO**

"This is it. Just go beyond this vent and you'll find your destination," said Bianchi as she pointed at a rusty looking vent that was situated deep inside an abandoned building. "I wish all of you good luck…and hope that you'll find out who your real family members are…" continued Bianchi with an encouraging smile. She winked and ran off.

"Real family members? What does she mean by that?" asked Hayato with a confused look on his face.

"She's your sister. You should know," muttered Lambo silently.

"Maybe she means to hint that you are actually related to the Vongola guardians?" said Gamma thoughtfully. Everyone looked at him as though he had gone crazy.

"Yeah right…" said the kids in unison. Gamma sighed. It was just a wild guess.

"Stop bickering and let's go!" hissed Lal Mirch impatiently.

She opened the vent cover and motioned for the others to follow. One by one, they slipped into the air vent and into what seemed like a giant death trap for all of them. As they crawled through the vent, Lal raised her hand to stop them from time to time. This was so that any passing Milliefiore guard would not notice the small group crawling their way through the vents.

"How much further?" whispered Takeshi a few minutes later only to be hushed by Lal.

"If Shoichi's map is correct, we should be directly above the communication rooms in this base. The first Funeral Wreath is stationed at the West wing," whispered Lal as she looked at her map.

"Kufufu…there are some insects directly below us…" said Mukuro eerily. He pointed through the holes in the vent and at the employees in the room. All of them were dressed in the normal Milliefiore attire.

"I want to bite them to death!" growled Kyoya as he raised his tonfa menacingly.

"Hush! One wrong move and we'll be found out!" hissed Lal. She motioned her hand for them to be silent and to move on.

"This is an extremely long passage!" whispered Ryohei not too quietly.

"HUSH!"

"Stop! Don't move!" said Gamma suddenly, making everybody freeze in their steps. "And keep quiet!" hissed Gamma seriously. He pointed slowly at the vent opening below him. A Milliefiore guard was looking up suspiciously.

"Hey, I think I saw something move in the vents!" said the unknown Milliefiore guard to his partner. He was squinting his eyes to get a better look at the vent. Gamma, who was the closest to the vent held his breath. The others started sweating.

"You must be imagining. It's most probably some mice. I mean, who were you expecting? The Vongola?" snorted his partner sarcastically. The man scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders. Taking one last look, he walked away with his partner who was now bad-mouthing the Vongola.

As the two men disappeared from sight, those in the vent sighed in relief and relaxed their tensed positions.

"I almost peed back there…" muttered Enma as he tried to slow down his heartbeat. Ryohei and Lambo nodded.

"Come on. Let's go!" whispered Lal. The others followed, this time, being as silent as they could.

After a few minutes of crawling around the air vents, the group reached a crossroad. Lal looked at her map and arched an eyebrow. Shoichi had forgotten to add this part in.

"So what do we do now?" asked Hayato with a sigh.

"Let's break out of the vent and make a surprise attack in the room below us," whispered Takeshi with a grin.

"Kufufu…that would be fun except for the fact that we're directly above the women's washroom…" replied Mukuro with a shake of his head.

"Don't look down you pervert!" hissed Hayato as he whacked Takeshi on the head. His face was red. Takeshi nodded sheepishly.

"It looks like we have to call base…" sighed Lal. She touched her earpiece and got a 'Please wait while we connect you'.

**BACK AT BASE**

"Are you trying to tell me that the kids have gone to the Milliefiore base," asked Giotto in a calm voice. Dino nodded his head, his heart beating twice as hard as it normally did.

The room went silent as the adults, including Cozart, Nozaru, Tozaru and the Shimon children tried to digest the new information.

"You're kidding me right? Today's not April's Fool, is it?" asked G, his voice calm yet dangerous.

"W-Well, they left this m-morning…" muttered Shoichi. The whole room went silent again.

"WHY THE HECK WERE WE NOT TOLD ABOUT THIS?" roared Daemon and G at the same time. Dino, Shoichi and Giannini jumped.

"THEY COULD DIE THERE!" added Giotto angrily.

"THEY'LL BE LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO DIE WITHOUT PAIN! WHO KNOWS WHAT BYAKURAN WILL DO TO GET INFORMATION OUT OF THEM!" yelled Asari, his usually happy face filled with panic and fury.

"I have a very bad feeling about this…" whimpered Lampo.

"If something bad happens to Kyoya and the rest, I will kill you…" growled the skylark. Shoichi clutched his stomach and whimpered.

"How could they?" growled Knuckle, his hand clenched into a fist.

"Why is Enma involved in this?" demanded Cozart. "He can't even light up his Shimon ring, let alone fight!"

"Enma…" muttered Adelheid worriedly. The Shimon kids were silent, even Koyo who enjoyed picking on Enma was filled with worry.

"Big brother Gamma! He can't! He's still injured!" howled Nozaru worriedly.

"He isn't the only one! Chrome was also just recently injured by one of those dogs!" snarled Daemon.

"It's not their fault. The kids chose it themselves…" said Bianchi calmly as she appeared into the kitchen with her arms crossed. The girl Alaude had saved was hiding behind her, occasionally peeking at the scene.

"But the kids could die! How could you send Hayato to battle?" asked G angrily. Bianchi sighed.

"You as his father should know. To him, defeating a funeral wreath is the least he can do for Tsuna. Besides, if they asked you all for permission, you would have said no…" said Bianchi, her eyes scanning the room.

"OF COURSE WE WOULD HAVE SAID NO! ANY SANE PARENT WOULD SAY NO!" yelled Daemon and G in unison, their bodies shaking with anger.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault. I let them go even though I knew it was suicidal…" muttered Dino guiltily.

"Don't be, Dino. They would have gone even if you had said no," said Talbot's voice from behind Bianchi.

"But Enma could be in trouble! He's the weakest among all of us! Please, we have to go to him!" yelled Adelheid as she stood up. Julie nodded in agreement. Talbot grinned.

"Fear not for I have created a weapon that can save his life, if he knows how to use it, that is," said Talbot happily. "I won't tell you what it is though…It'll be a surprise. Besides, you should know that the only other person Byakuran fears besides Uni and Primo is the Shimon boss," said Talbot.

"Fear or not, they are still in danger!" said Giotto in a panicked voice. Why didn't they see that the situation was terrible?

"Shoichi… Shoichi…. SHOICHI!" yelled a voice, making everyone in the room jump. Shoichi fumbled with his computer and turned on his communication device.

"L-Lal?" asked Shoichi. Spanner pressed a few buttons and put it on loudspeaker. The room went silent.

"Lal, you're going to get us all killed if you keep this up…" sighed a second voice behind. The voice sounded like Gamma's.

"Yeah…it was a good thing no one was in the toilet…" muttered Takeshi.

"Pervert…" hissed Hayato in disgust.

"I'm sorry. I thought it was spoilt or something…Anyway, Shoichi, would you care to explain why you left out which path to take in the crossroad?" asked Lal, her voice calm but filled with annoyance. Shoichi gulped.

"A-Ah! M-My bad! Take the right one! The left one will send you to your deaths," replied Shoichi sheepishly.

"Lal, tell the kids to be careful!" said Daemon.

"And to keep themselves safe until we get there to help them!" added Giotto as he fastened his cloak and put on his gloves. G cocked his gun and added some extra bullets to the bullet holders on his belt. Cozart silently put on his gloves and slid his ring onto his finger. Knuckle packed his healing material. Asari packed his swords into a small bag and slung it over his shoulder. Lampo volunteered to stay home and watch the house.

"Alaude, Daemon! You two stay here and keep an eye out for the kids and the base! Lampo, you…just stay here!" ordered Giotto, his voice boss like and filled with authority. If Daemon or Alaude had any objections, none of them bothered voicing them out. They merely nodded. Lampo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait, Primo. Before you go, I want to give all of you something I made two days ago," said Talbot with a smile on his face. He reached from beneath his cloak and pulled out 7 colorful boxes. He then proceeded to handing each one of them a box.

"Primo, G, Knuckle, Asari, take a box and use it when the situation calls for it…Alaude, Daemon, Lampo, just hold on to yours for now," said Talbot as he distributed the boxes to their respective owners.

Giotto examined his orange box with curiosity. The box bore the logo of the Vongola on it and the 7 colors of the Sky surrounded the opening of the box. The others received the box with the color that resembled the color of their flame.

"Thanks Talbot! Now come on, let's go!" urged G impatiently after Shoichi and Spanner handed them the communication devices and map.

**BACK TO LAL AND CO.**

"You guys are pretty much screwed…" announced Lal calmly as her communication device went dead.

"Let's worry about that when we get back," muttered Hayato as he thought of the method his father was going to deal with him.

"We're here. According to Shoichi's map, we're in the store room of the Milliefiore base. The real mission starts now," whispered Lal after all of them crawled tiredly in the vent for another 10 minutes. Pulling out a small screwdriver, Lal skillfully unscrewed the screws and opened the vent. She then proceeded to jumping down from the vent and onto the cold floor. The others did the same.

"This feels so much better…" sighed Enma as he stretched and yawned.

"Come on! We've got no time to lose here!" hissed Lal. She was peeking out from the door and looking cautiously at the long corridor in front of her.

"Kyoya, send Hibird out to check the scene out there," whispered Lal. Kyoya nodded while Hibird flew from his owner's head to his fingers.

"You know what to do little one…" whispered Kyoya as Hibird flapped his wings and flew out of the door. A few minutes later, he flew back and landed gently on his owner's head.

"Danger! Danger! 3 o'clock! 3 o'clock!" chirped Hibird happily. Kyoya smiled and nodded his head,

"He says that there are guards patrolling just up ahead. We should use the right turn just up ahead," announced Kyoya, his eyes cold again.

"How does he understand what the bird said?" muttered Lambo as he shook his head.

"Right! Let's go!" hissed Lal as she opened the door and ran out.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE MILLIEFIORE BASE**

"Who is the most awesome person in the world? I am!" sang a huge man in white armory. He hummed to himself as he patrolled the rather large room filled with boxes and things. His hair was spiked into a Mohawk and on his right pointer finger sat the Mare Lightning ring.

Dendro Chilum was not the brightest person in the Milliefiore base which made everybody surprised to why Byakuran had chosen him to be the holder of the green Mare ring. It had been an honorable day for Dendro. His subordinates that used to mock and tease him now bowed and greeted him whenever they passed by. To make things better, the day after Dendro penetrated the walls and defenses of a well-known family which resulted to their defeat, everybody now praised him more, making his head swell up with pride.

It was no wonder he was not surprised to see a bunch of outsiders barge into the room with weapons raised. It took him a few minutes to see that these people were not from inside the Milliefiore and when he did realize, he roared with anticipation.

"Hohoho! Enemies! Have you come to fight with the great Dendro Chilum, the man who defeated the Vigo Family?" roared Dendro boastfully.

"I see an idiot…" mused Mukuro, his trident glinting evilly under the fluorescent lighting. Lal nodded her head in annoyance.

"Did anyone notice how he has not pressed the alarm yet?" asked Hayato.

"I'll take him on…" said Gamma with a grin on his face. His eyes were filled with deep hatred as he pulled out his weapon. "Lightning vs Lightning…" muttered Gamma, his eyes eyeing the Mare ring resting on the man's finger.

"I'm lightning too…" muttered Lambo.

"HAHAHA! Enemies will be crushed by the awesome Dendro Chilum!" laughed the man happily.

"Don't take too long, Gamma," called Lal as the rest of the team sat comfortably on some boxes.

"I won't…" replied Gamma, lightning surrounding him.

**DONE. I would have wanted to complete the whole fight here but I remembered I have homework to do. Many apologies. Next chapter will be Gamma vs this guy and another battle. Review like always ! Ciao ciao!:D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

Chapter 12: Trouble In Base

"Milliefiore scum," growled Gamma angrily, his hand gripping tightly on his long cue. On his right index finger sat a green ring with what looked like wings jutting out of its two sides. Lightning flames crackled menacingly around it. His eyes glared at his opponent with full of hate.

"Lal, I didn't notice this before but why does Gamma have a similar ring to that idiot looking man there? Isn't that the Mare ring?" asked Hayato with a confused and disturbed look on his face.

"The Mare ring used to belong to Giglio Nero but the Milliefiore stole it from them the day Uni disappeared. That's why Giglio Nero is at war with the Milliefiore. What Gamma is wearing is a fake. I heard Giglio Nero made numerous copies of the rings…" replied Lal as she checked her watch again. "Come on, Gamma! We don't have all day!" barked the ex-commander impatiently.

"I get, I get it! Sheesh!" muttered Gamma. He raised his cue and aimed it at his opponent. Dendro Chilum roared with laughter.

"Hohoho! A challenge? I love challenges! The last man I fought died within 10 seconds!" boasted Dendro proudly. "Besides, what can that stick do? Take a look at my weapons!" said Dendro as he pointed at the two cannons on his shoulders. Green flames crackled. Gamma lowered his weapon and reached for his pocket.

"Now taste the power of the Great Dendro Chilum who took out an entire family by himself!" roared Dendro. His cannons charged up and in a blink of an eye, they fired Lightning flames at Gamma who was now staring calmly at the approaching beams. Chrome gasped and covered her eyes.

"MOVE YOU IDIOT!" yelled Hayato, his eyes wide with panic. Just as the words escaped his lips, a loud boom was heard and smoke filled the room. Lal sighed.

"HAHAHA! How was that? Great wasn't it? Now you're as burnt as a barbequed fish!" laughed Dendro. He turned to the rest and grinned pervertedly. "Who's next?" boomed his voice. Takeshi gripped his sword handle tightly. Kyoya glared coldly at the man. Mukuro grinned eerily. Hayato growled. Lal looked at him with annoyed eyes. Lambo whimpered.

"Is that it? How pathetic. I expected something more…challenging… You are a disgrace," said a bored voice. Dendro froze in his steps and turned around. Gamma was emerging slowly from the smoke screen, unscathed. A black box sat on his free hand.

"B-But! N-No one has survived my cannons before!" yelled Dendro, his face furious. Gamma grinned coldly.

"Well, none of them had a box to adsorb in dying will flames because I did," replied Gamma coolly as he tucked his box back into his pocket. "Thanks for providing free flames to me but now it's my turn" said Gamma sarcastically, his cue in position. Lightning coated billiard balls surrounded him.

"Take that. Plasma Shot!" said Gamma as is cue came into contact with the first two billiard balls. Upon contact, the two balls shot forward and shot straight for its target the two cannons on Dendro's shoulders. To those watching the fight merely saw a ball of green lightning flames crashing into the targets. The cannons burst.

"MY CANNONS!" howled Dendro after the balls did their damage. There were now two gaping holes in the armory. Gamma grinned in anticipation as the two balls flew back to their master. Dendro growled and glared at Gamma. "HOW DARE YOU!" roared the man.

"I'm sorry, did I make you angry?" asked Gamma, his voice feigning sorrow.

"YOU MAKE DENDRO VERY ANGRY! DENDRO MAD!" roared Dendro as he stamped his feet.

"Yes, he is mad…" muttered Hayato.

Dendro growled and raised his weapon. His ring glowed and the lance crackled to life. Dendro roared again. He aimed his lance at Gamma and charged.

"Too slow," muttered Gamma as he jumped back, out of reach from the lance. He raised his cue and got ready for another shot. Dendro grinned and his ring glowed again. Much to Gamma's surprise, the lightning stretched and managed to cut his cheek, leaving a deep wound. Gamma hissed and shot his billiards again. Dendro dodged in the nick of time.

"HAHAHA! CAUGHT YOU BY SURPRISE DIDN'T I?" yelled Dendro proudly. Gamma touched his cheek. He could feel the blood on his fingers. Not wanting to agree, he merely wiped the blood on his shirt. He raised his weapon again. If Uni saw him now, she would fuss over his wound with worry. In fact, she would insist he go to the hospital or something like that. Gamma smiled at the thought and looked up at his opponent.

"For the princess, I will defeat you," said Gamma, his eyes full of determination. His fake ring glowed and he raised his weapons again, this time shooting numerous billiard balls at his opponent. The balls missed Dendro and started bouncing all over the place. Dendro laughed.

"USELESS! YOU CAN'T EVEN AIM PROPERLY! HERE I COME!" yelled Dendro as he charged again, his lance in hand. Gamma stood at his spot and looked calmly at his opponent. A green ball bounced against the wall and hit Dendro on the back.

"OWWW! What was that?" howled the man as he fell over, smoke hissing out of the spot. Another ball hit him on his knee. He yelped in pain.

"GAMMA! I KNOW ITS PART OF YOUR WEAPON AND ALL BUT PLEASE! WE ARE GETTING HIT HERE!" yelled Hayato as he skillfully dodged a ball. Kyoya nodded. He was in the middle of a battle with the balls. Mukuro and Takeshi were playing baseball using their weapons. Chrome hid behind her brother. Lal was sitting coolly on her seat, dodging easily. Ryohei was running around like a mad man with Lambo behind him. Enma, who had years of experience in thanks to dodge ball games was moving gracefully.

"Crap, I forgot about them…" muttered Gamma. He sighed. This was the only method that would have worked but it was too dangerous to the rest. With a heavy sigh, he tapped his cue on the ground and his billiard balls flew back to him. Dendro was now covered with deep cuts and burns. Despite all that, he managed to stand up, his face as red as a tomato.

"GUARHHH! DENDRO REALLY, REALLY MAD!" roared the Milliefiore guard. Without warning, he turned from Gamma and charged with his lightning coated lance at Lal and the rest. Mukuro and Kyoya got into position at once. Hayato pulled out his dynamite. Gamma cussed and chased after him. Ryohei roared with anticipation and lifted up his fist. Takeshi lifted up his katana.

"Lal, calling in Lal! How are things?" asked Shoichi through the earpiece. Lal who had pulled out her own weapon sighed.

"Not much. There's a man wielding a lance coated with lightning charging straight for us," replied Lal calmly. Shoichi shrieked. Behind him, Lal could hear Daemon's roar of outrage and worry. "Call you back, Shoichi. He's coming closer," said Lal before switching off her earpiece. She jumped in front of the kids and held out her weapon. Gamma had raised his cue but even he knew it was too late. Lal lifted up her weapon, expecting some form of impact. Instead, all she heard was lightning crackle.

"Yare, yare…Didn't you know that playing with lightning was dangerous?" muttered Lambo's voice. Lal looked at the person in front of her. Lambo who was one head shorter than her was holding the lightning coated lance in his hands. The most astonishing fact was that he didn't seem injured at all. In fact, his own hands were coated with red lightning.

"L-Lambo? How did you-?" muttered Lal, her eyes looking impressed. Lambo looked at her and smiled, his eyes showing a hint of fear.

"Tsuna always told me that my job in the family was to draw to myself and away from my Family, to serve as a Lightning rod. Well, I-I'm doing it now," replied Lambo, his hands shaking.

"Kufufu…the brat has finally grown up…Let's all clap for him," said Mukuro with a smile on his face as he applauded. Chrome smiled.

"That had to be one of the wisest sentence Lambo has ever said," said Hayato with a smirk.

"EXTREME!" roared Ryohei. Takeshi laughed. Enma stared in amazement at the lightning.

'_Impressive…for someone so young, he can withstand so much of lightning…He really is a lightning rod…'_ thought Gamma with a smile. The billiard balls around him crackled with life.

"GUARHHH! IMPOSSIBLE! THE GREAT DENDRO CHILUM WAS STOPPED!" howled Dendro. Lambo gulped but kept his composure. After all, he had to be strong.

"I'll be taking this, thank you very m-much," mumbled the cow child. The lightning surrounding his hands increased in size. With fast hand movements, he grabbed the lance from the unsuspecting Dendro and broke it into half.

"And that's done," muttered Lambo coolly as he threw the two pieces onto the ground.

Dendro howled again and raised his fist but was stopped by Gamma who had shot another ball at him.

"Don't forget who your real opponent is…" growled Gamma, his cue at the ready.

Dendro grumbled and pulled out a box. "BEHOLD THE GREAT SECRET WEAPON OF DENDRO! NO ONE HAS EVER SURVIVED THIS!" roared Dendro. He pushed his ring into the opening of the box and the box glowed. A few minutes later, a wild boar covered with lightning flames stood fiercely in front of him.

"Elettro Chighiale! Let's see you dodge this!" yelled Dendro gleefully. The wild boar snorted and charged at Gamma.

"Animals eh? If that's the case…" said Gamma as he too injected his ring to his other box weapon. In flash, two yellow shaped foxes emerged from the box and charged straight at the boar. The boar roared and the electricity around him crackled loudly. The two foxed shaped creatures separated from one another and went to either side of the boar.

"And now, the end," muttered Gamma. Big bolts of lightning streamed from the two animals and hit the boar who screamed in agony. In a bright flash, the job was done and the boar disappeared. Dendro howled. The two foxes looked at him and emitted big bolts of lightning, hitting Dendro straight in the stomach.

The green Mare ring which sat on his finger shattered as its owner fell onto the ground, unconscious. Dendro Chilum was defeated.

"Is he really a Funeral Wreath? He was weak…" muttered Gamma as his box animals returned to him.

"He has to be…He was wearing a Mare ring…" replied Lal. She tapped her goggles and looked at the map layout. "Gamma, deal with his body and let's get a move on. We've wasted enough time," barked Lal. With a sigh, Gamma nodded and did as he was told.

After he was done, the group hastily left the room and moved on.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE MELLIEFIORE BASE**

"Byakuran-sama. We have to report something urgent to you," said one of the Cervello women, her voice urgent. Byakuran who was examining his Mare ring with a dreamy look snapped out of his daze and smiled at the woman.

"What is it, Cervello-chan~~?" sang Byakuran happily.

"Someone has broken into our base. Apparently, it's the Vongola children, Shimon Cozart's son, the failed Arcobaleno and a man from Giglio Nero," reported the second Cervello woman. She held up her device and Byakuran took a look at it. His previous happy face was now serious and grim.

"Shimon Cozart's son eh? That's going to be a big problem…" muttered Byakuran as he touched his Mare ring. There was a small hint of fear in his eyes, a look that disappeared as he smiled again.

"This has just become so exciting! Let's just wait and see what happens. Tell everyone to be on their guard," said Byakuran in his normal sing-song voice. He opened a packet of marshmallows and started chomping on them.

The two Cervello women looked at each other and then nodded their heads.

"If that's what you want, Byakuran-sama," said one of them obediently. Both of them bowed and turned around to leave.

"Wait a moment, Cervello-chan. Is the ring on Enma-chan's finger the real one?" asked Byakuran, his fingers poking the marshmallows in his hands. The two Cervello women looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Just as you know, Byakuran-sama. The Shimon rings has been missing for the past 5 years…Even Shimon Cozart himself does not know where they are…" said the Cervello women in unison. Byakuran smiled at the news and threw the marshmallows into his mouth.

"But as you know too, Byakuran-sama…Sawada Tsunayoshi knew where they were…" said the Cervello women. Byakuran nodded.

"Which is why finding his grave is very important…Even though all that may remain are bones, I can still retrace everything from him…and destroy the only one thing that can threaten the Tri-Ni-Sette…" said Byakuran, his eyes serious.

**WITH GIOTTO AND CO.**

"The coast is clear. Let's move!" whispered Giotto silently as he and his guardians ran across the town, their figures hidden as much as possible. Giotto could see why Lal Mirch wanted to leave so early in the morning. Running around the town without wanting to get caught was no easy task.

"Stop! There's a Milliefiore guard up ahead!" hissed Giotto again. His guardians came into a halt and all of them hid themselves skillfully. The guard, tired and groggy walked past them without a second glance. Giotto and his guardians breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a good thing you have Hyper Intuition, Giotto. If it wasn't for that, we would have been caught a long time ago," muttered Cozart. The others nodded in agreement.

"We've arrived. This is the spot Shoichi told us about. It looks like the kids entered from here as well…" said G as he pointed at the vent.

"Let's go!" urged Asari worriedly. Giotto nodded and was about to enter the vent when his Hyper Intuition stopped him.

"Someone is coming…" muttered Giotto, his eyes alert and cautious. G immediately brought out his gun. Asari held up his katana. Knuckle looked around cautiously. Cozart pulled on his gloves.

"There!" hissed G as he fired to his right. The intruder dodged and fired one of his own, something G dodged skillfully.

"As to be expected of the Storm Guardian of Vongola Primo…Your shot and your dodging skills were impressive…I nearly got grazed by the bullet…" said a deep voice as footsteps approached the group.

"Who are you?" asked Giotto, his voice serious and firm. The man chuckled and walked out of the darkness. He was neatly dressed in a mafia suit. His face was partially covered by his fedora. On both sides of his face were what looks like sideburns. His right hand held a gun while his left hand was in his pocket.

"My name…it's better if you didn't know. What I can tell you is that I am on your side…" replied the man as he looked up. He had an air of cheekiness but something about him told Giotto that this man was someone you did not want as an enemy.

"How can we trust you…You look…suspicious…" growled G, his gun aimed at the stranger. The man looked at G and smiled coldly.

"Think what you like but I came here as a request from someone I know…She told me to keep an eye on those brats in the base…" replied the man coolly. "Besides…I'm doing this as a favor to someone who has helped me…" finished the man.

"You were asked to help the kids?" asked Asari, his face surprised. The man nodded. Asari lowered his sword cautiously.

"Yeah right! You could be someone from the Milliefiore. You have to be lying!" growled G suspiciously. The man sighed.

"Ask Vongola Primo there…He knows I'm being completely truthful…" said the man. Giotto nodded. His Hyper Intuition was actually telling him to trust the man.

"He's not lying, G. We can and should trust him…" said Giotto as he patted his friend on the arm. G growled and stowed his gun away. The others did the same with their weapons.

The man smiled. "You remind me a lot of a student I once taught…He trusted me on the spot even though he hardly knew me…" said the man as he looked at Giotto. Before Giotto could say anything, the man walked towards the vent and disappeared from sight.

Giotto arched an eyebrow and followed after him.

"I still don't trust him…" muttered G as he followed after his friend.

**WITH LAL AND THE REST**

"So who is left in our bingo book?" whispered Hayato quietly.

"The holder of the Sun ring, Gingerbread, the holder of the Storm ring, Rasiel, Byakuran himself and the holder of the Mist ring, Genkishi…" muttered Lal. At the last name, Gamma growled, his whole face as black as thunder.

"Genkishi…I will be the one to face him…" muttered Gamma angrily. The memory of his betrayal and him killing most of Giglio Nero made Gamma feel like tearing out his guts when they met.

"Kufufu…I'm dying to kill one of them…" chuckled Mukuro eerily. Chrome shuddered. The thought of getting shot in the stomach made her sick.

"I will bite Byakuran to death!" snarled Kyoya.

"I want to do something!" hissed Hayato impatiently. Takeshi nodded.

"I wanna go home!" whimpered Lambo piteously.

"Y-Yeah…" muttered Enma worriedly.

"Extreme fighting!" said Ryohei not too softly.

"HUSHHH!" hissed everyone in unison. Ryohei clamped his mouth.

"Calling in Kyoya. Pick up or I'll arrest you," growled Alaude's voice.

"I'll bite you to death before you can," growled Kyoya back.

"Hn…anyway, all of you are to wait at where you are for Primo and the rest to come. Understood?" said Alaude's bored voice.

"We—" started Kyoya before a loud rumbling was heard and the wall beside them crashed down. Out jumped a whole group of Milliefiore soldiers all armed with weapons and rings. All of them pointed their guns at the group.

"Intruders! Put your hands up!" yelled the captain. Lal growled and cussed.

"They know! Byakuran knows!" snarled Lal as she drew out her own weapon. The others did the same.

"PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN OR WE'LL SHOOT!" ordered the captain again. No one moved.

"Kyoya. Kyoya! What's going on?" asked Alaude's voice. His cold voice had a hint of panic in it.

"Nothing much, father. A group of herbivores just appeared," replied Kyoya, his hands already armed with tonfa's. Alaude growled.

"I'll deal with them. Herbivores,—" said Kyoya as he looked at his siblings "—go and continue on into the base. I'll deal with them…" said Kyoya, his voice filled with excitement as he stood in front of the guards with only his tonfa's.

"B-But you'll be killed!" yelled Takeshi. Kyoya snorted.

"Go before I bite all of you to death as well," growled the skylark impatiently. Ryohei was about to say something when Mukuro shook his head.

"Kufufu…let him be. Kyoya wants to show off," said Mukuro with a mischievous grin on his face. Kyoya glared at him.

"If that's what you want…COME ON! LET'S GO!" roared Lal Mirch as she took off running with everyone following closely behind.

"You'd better come back, Kyoya," growled Hayato. Kyoya grinned sadistically.

"I will come back. It seems like you herbivores need me around…" replied the skylark. Hayato snorted and ran off.

"STOP!" yelled the captain as he and the other soldiers opened fire. Kyoya sighed and tapped his tonfa's. A long metal chain fell out and Kyoya spun it, creating some sort of barrier against the bullets. The captain cussed.

"Follow them!" ordered the second in command. Kyoya shook his head and pulled out a long device from his pocket. With fast hand movements, he threw the device on the floor and the device transformed into what looked like grills that blocked the soldiers from chasing after the rest. The captain cussed.

"Running away is forbidden in a fight…" said Kyoya calmly. He pulled out his Vongola Ring from his pocket and slid it onto his finger.

"SURROUND HIM! WE CAN TAKE THIS BRAT OUT!" yelled the captain again. The soldiers dressed in white Milliefiore outfits nodded and soon surrounded Kyoya who merely smiled in anticipation.

"Kyoya, don't lose to these herbivores, understand?" ordered Alaude coldly. Kyoya smiled and nodded his head.

"I will bite all of you to death!" snarled Kyoya as he charged forward with his tonfa's in hand.

**ELSEWHERE**

"Lal Mirch…I've been waiting for you…" said a voice as Lal and the kids walked into what looked like a very long corridor. Lal Mirch looked up and growled. A boy wearing a black witch hat and cloak smiled down cheekily at her. He had brown hair and brown eyes. In his right hand, he was holding a broomstick. The Sun Mare ring glinted under the bright fluorescent lighting.

Lal growled. "You must be the not so famed Gingerbread…" replied Lal. The others stopped in their tracks and looked at the two of them. Did they know each other?

"Not so famed? Hm…that's hurtful…Oh well, not that it matters anyway…" giggled Gingerbread as he jumped down from the pipe he was sitting on.

"Let me show you how the Milliefiore deals with intruders…" said Gingerbread with an eerie grin on his face.

**Done. Happy Chinese New Year to all my readers who celebrate CNY! XD**

**As for the next chapter, I'll ask all of you to decide. Who do you want to see pair up( or three and more) fight side along side? Here are the names of the opponents involved:**

**Gingerbread**

**Genkishi**

**Baishana**

**Cappucino **

**Mosca's! (why they are there, I will explain next time)**

**For those who will be fighting, here:**

**Mukuro**

**Chrome**

**Ryohei**

**Lal Mirch**

**Gamma**

**Takeshi**

**Hayato**

**Lambo**

**Enma**

**For the adults, I'll put them in sooner or later. So please tell me who you want. Thank you very much!: )**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! This week's Reborn was awesome! I can't believe that Tsuna is that blur but Reborn was awesome!XD **

**P.S I changed a lot for this chapter. Do not expect it to be exactly like the manga.**

Chapter 13: Failed Arcobaleno

"Everyone, please go on ahead. I'll take care of him…" said Lal as she strapped her weapon onto her arm. It was a Nuvola Gauntlet, a weapon created by the finest Vongola mechanics. "Chrome, I would like you to stay behind though. I may need help," continued Lal.

"Kufufu…that would be unthinkable. If Chrome stays, I too will stay," said Mukuro firmly. Lal sighed.

"No. You and the others have to move on. We'll be wasting time if you stay here," growled Lal. Mukuro shook his head and was about to argue when Chrome patted his shoulder gently.

"It's okay, Brother. I'll be fine…Please go on with the rest…" muttered Chrome, her eyes wide with pleading. Mukuro eyed his sister for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"Kufufu…if you say so, Nagi. Please be careful," said Mukuro worriedly. He took one look at his sister before joining with the others.

"You better join us later, Lal," yelled Gamma as he ran for the door.

"GOOD LUCK TO THE EXTREME!" roared Ryohei loudly.

"Tch! Oi Chrome! You'd better take care of that woman and yourself!" yelled Hayato. Chrome nodded.

"How fun!" laughed Takeshi.

"Why couldn't we just sit here and watch?" whined Lambo.

"I have a really bad feeling about this…" muttered Enma.

"GET GOING ALREADY!" roared the ex-commander impatiently. With hurried nods, they followed Gamma.

"I can't allow that. No one should pass!" said Gingerbread. He raised his broomstick and shot multiple needle projectiles at the retreating group. Mukuro grinned and the kanji in his eye changed to the number '1'. In a flash, a huge wall appeared from nowhere and shielded them from the needles. Tapping his trident gently on the floor, mist appeared from nowhere, allowing them to escape.

A bullet whizzed by Gingerbread's head and hit the wall behind him. Gingerbread cussed. Chrome brought down her trident, causing veins to appear out of nowhere. The veins headed straight for their prey. With a growl, the Sun Mare ring holder jumped out of the way and destroyed the illusions.

"Thank you for finally averting your attention to us…" said Lal Mirch coolly. Mukurowl was now perched on Chrome's shoulder.

Gingerbread laughed his voice childlike. "Oh well, I can let the others take care of those pests…I guess playing around with you two should be fun. After all, it is an honor to take on a failed Arcobaleno and the girl who took out Glo," said Gingerbread cheekily. .

"Brat!" growled Lal as she took aim at Gingerbread again. This time, instead of plain normal 9mm bullets, out came Mist coated bullets. Chrome gasped. Daemon had told her once that Lal was a rain attribute.

Gingerbread jumped out of the way easily. After all, he was floating in the air. He waggled his finger tauntingly at Lal, his back facing Chrome.

"Take that!" said Chrome as she slammed her trident onto the floor. Fire shot out, grazing Gingerbread on the back. He hissed and shot at Chrome, causing her to break her illusions just to dodge the needles. Lal snickered.

"Vongola brats," cursed Gingerbread. He fired his needles again but this time, they were coated with Sun flames. Lal and Chrome jumped out of the way. Lal winked at Chrome and stood up again.

Without a word, Lal fired her gauntlet again. Her 9mm bullets whizzed out and went straight for Gingerbread who dodged in the nick of time.

"That's terrible aiming, Lal. I'm disappo—" started Gingerbread before a large vein wrapped itself around his body. He looked down. Chrome had silently tapped her trident on the floor while Lal had distracted him.

"This is bad," muttered Gingerbread as he tried his hardest to break free.

"You should be more careful, Gingerbread," said Lal as she reloaded her gauntlet again. She fired twice and Mist bullets came out. Gingerbread cussed just as the bullets hit him.

"Once more," muttered Chrome. She gripped her trident tightly and the veins tightened its grip around its prey. Gingerbread yelped in pain and then went limp. The veins untangled themselves and released Gingerbread who fell onto the floor.

Chrome swayed on her feet and fell onto the floor, exhausted. Her body was still in the process of recovering and even the smallest illusion sapped her energy. She clung onto her trident, panting.

"Come on, Chrome. We have to go—" started Lal before she was rudely interrupted by Mukurowl. The owl had started flapping his white wings wildly. He hooted impatiently as he pointed at the ceiling. Understanding flooded Lal's face as she cussed and aimed her gauntlet at the ceiling.

"Come out, Gingerbread. I know you're there!" snarled Lal angrily. Childlike laughter was heard as the young boy jumped out from his hiding spot, unscathed.

"To be expected of one of Talbot's trained animals…He found me in a flash," chuckled Gingerbread happily. "I had a great time observing the two of you. It seems like she is out of energy. I have to thank Glo for this next time!"

"There won't be a next time. I will get rid of you here and now!" hissed Lal. She fired again but this time, Gingerbread dodged gracefully.

"Hm…I guess it's my turn now," mused the young boy. He aimed at his two opponents and fired. Chrome watched the approaching projectiles with horror filled eyes. She stood up and tried to run but her legs gave way and she tripped.

"Chrome!" yelled Lal as she ran over and hauled the girl out of harm's way.

"Too naïve…" chuckled Gingerbread. He snapped his fingers and a loud explosion echoed throughout the whole room.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE**

"What the heck was that?" asked G. They had been crawling through the vents when a loud explosion nearly caused all of them to break the vent.

"It sounded like a bomb. Do you think…" muttered Asari, his eyes serious and worried. The atmosphere became tense.

"Call the base. They should know," said their companion in a deep voice. He was peering through the small holes of the vent. Giotto nodded and fumbled with his earpiece. A few minutes later, he got through.

"Yes. There was an explosion recently at Sector B. That's where Chrome and Lal are at the moment…" reported Spanner's calm voice.

"Can you get through to them? How are they?" asked Giotto worriedly. Spanner sighed sadly.

"Unfortunately for us, we lost all communication with Chrome and Lal. It seems that their device was destroyed in the midst of the fight. Shoichi is trying his best to do something. Daemon on the other hand…is frantic," mumbled Spanner. True enough, Daemon's voice could be heard behind Spanner. He was yelling at everyone in the room.

"What about the others? Where are they?" growled G.

"Apparently, they went off on their own," replied Spanner coolly. G cussed.

"Those brats…they're making this harder for us…" muttered G, his face stressed. Everyone looked grim.

"It seems that we too have to split up then…" said the man, breaking the silence. Everyone looked at him.

"Split up?" asked Knuckle. The man nodded, his face hidden once more by his fedora.

"That way, we may be able to help all of them in a way…" said the hit man coolly.

"I agree with him. If we go together, we may lose someone. Knuckle, Asari, G, you'll be in one team. Cozart, erm…you—" Giotto awkwardly pointed at their new companion who merely grinned in amusement "—and myself will be in the other team," said the Vongola boss. Everyone nodded.

"This is our stop. It looks like our kids took the same path," said Asari as he pointed at the vent that led to the storeroom. Using his hand, he gently pushed the vent which fell down onto the floor, causing what sounded like a thousand breaking plates.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" hissed G, his fist raised. Asari laughed sheepishly.

"Alright! Group 1 that way," whispered Giotto as he pointed to his right. "Make sure you're all quiet. My Hyper Intuition tells me that there are guards around the corner. Good luck." The guardians nodded and were soon out of sight.

"As for us, we'll go straight. Let's go," muttered Giotto as he and his two companions moved on.

**BACK WITH LAL AND CHROME**

"L-Lal?" whispered Chrome as she coughed. She opened her eyes slowly and looks around. Much to her shock, she saw what looked like a sun infused net that separated her from Lal Mirch. Lal Mirch was badly injured. Her body was filled with burnt marks and there were spiders on her wounds. She was lying on the floor, her fist clenched.

"Did you know, little girl? Lal pushed you out of the way and took in the impact. Wasn't it noble of her?" said Gingerbread merrily.

"F-For me?" whispered Chrome. She felt a pang of guilt. Gingerbread nodded.

"Shut up…I did it…so that Daemon wouldn't…blame me for allowing his daughter to get hurt…" growled Lal painfully. She screamed in pain as a spider bit into her wound. Chrome stood up.

"Aren't my spiders adorable? They were a gift from Byakuran-sama. He made it so that they would kill you from the insides…I placed some of their eggs while I shot those needles. Seeing that Lal took in the damage, she'll die first!" cheered Gingerbread.

"N-No…" gasped Chrome. Mukurowl hooted angrily. Lal gritted her teeth in pain. The pacifier that was normally hidden in her pocket fell out.

"Well, at least you'll be able to finally be with your beloved Colonello, right Lal?" grinned Gingerbread evily. "Failures in death."

"Shut up…before I blow your head off…" snarled Lal. She winced again. Gingerbread chuckled.

"Hey, little girl, did you know? The woman in front of you is a failed Arcobaleno…" said Gingerbread. Chrome frowned.

"Failed…Arcobaleno?" whispered Chrome in confusion. Gingerbread nodded.

"You see, Lal was actually supposed to hold the Blue Pacifier but she was 'rescued' by someone else," started Gingerbread happily. "That someone was none other than Colonello, her student," continued Gingerbread. Chrome gasped.

Lal closed her eyes. How could she forget that day?

**Flashback**

"Arcobaleno? Me?" asked Lal with an eyebrow arched. The person she was talking to nodded cheerfully. He wore a mask and a hat which had checkered patterns all over. He also wore a large trench coat.

"I have looked high and low for a soldier that would be able to protect the pacifier and you're perfect for the role! Well, you'll have to meet the rest of the chosen representatives so please meet us at this place next Monday. Until then!" said the man as he handed a piece of paper to Lal. With a polite bow, he left.

"Who was that, Lal? Your boyfriend, hey!" joked Colonello cheerfully. Lal raised her fist and smacked him hard on the head.

"Idiot! Keep that up and I'll drown you in the Pacific Ocean," growled Lal menacingly. Colonello saluted obediently.

"But seriously, what did he want, hey!" asked Colonello as both he and Lal reloaded their guns. Lal had insisted they shoot targets to improve their skills.

"Something unimportant… Mind your own business…" muttered Lal. She cocked her gun and fired. Her bullet slammed straight into the target.

"Tch! I can do better, hey!" said Colonello. He took aim and fired. His bullet hit his target as well. He grinned mischievously at his teacher, causing Lal to blush.

"So what was it, hey?" asked Colonello again. Lal sighed.

"Something about me being an Arcobaleno…I have no clue what it is…" muttered Lal. Colonello scratched his head.

"He's going to turn you into a rainbow?" asked Lal's student in confusion. Lal snorted with laughter.

"Idiot. This is none of your business you understand? NOW GET TRAINING OR YOU'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO JOIN CEDEF! ALAUDE IS PICKY WITH HIS MEN!" roared Lal fiercely. Colonello nodded and saluted again.

_Monday_

Lal walked into the said location calmly. Since she was going to meet people she had never met before, she was not going to show any form of weakness. As she passed through the doors, she saw a round table with a light bulb hanging above it. A woman dressed in Giglio Nero clothing smiled pleasantly at her. She was clearly pregnant.

Around the table sat other representatives. A man dressed in traditional Chinese costume that reminded Lal of her boss, Alaude smiled politely at her as she sat down. There was also a man with green hair and spectacles scribbling something down on his notepad. A young boy in heavily covered clothes was counting his money. Beside him, a man with purple hair leaned back lazily against his chair. All of them looked weary of one another. Only the woman in Giglio Nero clothing smiled easily.

The door opened and a man wearing a fedora and a mafia suit walked in. His eyes scanned the room suspiciously as he took his seat. He folded his arms and too leaned against his chair.

The seven Arcobaleno representatives had arrived.

"My name is Luche and I was asked to relate this message to all seven of you," started the woman in Giglio Nero clothing. Despite the glares she was receiving, she still smiled brightly.

For the next 30 minutes, Luche explained what their job was, the curse, why they needed to do so and why they were chosen. "Of course, I hope all of us get along well because no one else will be able to understand what we'll go through…" said Luche gently.

When no one said anything, Luche continued. "We'll meet each other more often now. That is until I give birth to this child…"

Lal was stunned beyond words. Babies? Cursed? Forever? Did that mean they would stay like that forever? She covered her face with her hands. The other representatives except for Luche looked disturbed as well though none of them tried to show it.

_FEW MONTHS LATER_

Lal looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was dressed in her usual military outfit. Her heart was beating like crazy. She checked her watch. The day had finally arrived.

As Lal passed by the training fields, she felt a pang of guilt. She had not told Colonello about anything. After all, she had originally planned to disappear without notice after she was a baby. Her student would not feel pleased though.

Once she reached the said location, Lal looked around. Reborn was the only one who had not arrived. Luche smiled at everyone cheerfully. She had finally given birth to a girl named Aria. Lal looked around. After spending a few months with all of these people, she had to admit that they were quite close to each other (except for Verde).

Lal looked at her surroundings and her hands. This would be the last time she would ever see things the way she did now.

When Reborn arrived, everyone got into position and Luche held out 7 clear pacifiers. She then closed her eyes and the pacifiers shone. Luche released the pacifiers and stepped back into her position.

Lal closed her eyes as the light shone even more brightly. In a flash, the deed was done and the light dimmed slowly. The pacifiers were now filled with colors and were now with their owners.

The seven babies looked around. Their world looked shrunken. Lal looked at her hands. They had become just like a baby's. Gasps and groans were heard as the Arcobaleno took in their new forms. Lal's hands shook. She had never felt so helpless in her whole life. The thought of being a baby forever haunted her like a ghost.

Luche on the other hand merely smiled at the rest and with a polite bow, she was the first to walk away from her spot. Verde, who promised himself to find a cure stalked off a few seconds later, followed by the rest. Finally, only Lal stood at her spot, unable to move.

Tears leaked out of her eyes. She hated this body so much. To think that she had to endure it her whole life made her wish she was dead. Her legs became jelly and she fell onto the ground, sobbing. Maybe, just maybe, she could end all of this.

Strong but gentle hands lifted her up. Lal snapped her eyes open and looked at the person. It was her student, Colonello and he was smiling at her. Lal hastily wiped her tears away and put on a brave face.

"C-Colonello?"

"So this is what you were hiding from me, eh Lal?" whispered Colonello gently and comfortingly. Lal kept quiet.

"Well, you do look very cute, hey!" added her student. A vein twitched in her forehead.

"Idiot!" growled Lal. Colonello grinned.

"Come on, I can help you with a better option," said her student as he placed his teacher on his shoulders.

"H-Hey! P-P-Put me down you idiot!" hissed Lal, her cheeks burning. Colonello shook his head.

"I'm scared you'll run if I do…After all, that's what you were planning to do, right?" muttered Colonello. Lal bit her lip.

After walking for several minutes, Colonello finally came to a stop.

"What are you doing?" asked Lal suspiciously. Colonello shrugged cheerfully.

"So this was what you meant, Colonello?" said a familiar voice. Lal turned around and to her surprise, the man in the checkered hat appeared out of nowhere. He smiled at Lal.

"Yeah. Can it be done, hey!" asked Colonello seriously.

"Huh?"

"Of course it can. Seeing that you are her student, I take it that you too are very skilled…" mused the man. Colonello nodded.

"Will she be able to grow again?" asked Colonello. The man nodded. "Then I will willingly take her place as the Rain Arcobaleno, hey!" said the man firmly.

Lal could not believe her ears. "B-But—" started Lal but she was cut off by Colonello who had stuck his tongue out while placing her gently on the ground.

The man in the checkered hat chuckled and clapped his hands. Lal's pacifier started glowing. The man reached for his pocket and pulled out another clear pacifier.

"I was expecting something like this to happen and so, I made sure I got this one ready," grinned the man.

Understanding flooded Lal's face as she took in the scene. She whipped around to Colonello who was grinning cheerfully.

"C-Colonello! Don't tell me…" gasped Lal. Colonello nodded. The pacifier in the checkered man's hand glowed as well and flew from his palm.

A bright light filled the place as the two pacifiers responded to each other. The Rain pacifier ripped itself from Lal's chest and flew to its new holder who had shrunk in size. The other pacifier placed itself comfortably on Lal's chest. Black squiggly lines appeared in the pacifier.

"There. From now on, you are no longer part of the 7 Arcobaleno and thus, are allowed to live life as it was. As you are a failed Arcobaleno now, you are not only capable of using Rain flames but Mist and Cloud as well…Good day," said the man and with a low bow, he walked away.

"Hm…my hands look adorable, don't they Lal, hey!" mused Colonello as he examined his new hands.

"I-Idiot! W-Why did you do it?" hissed Lal, her eyes filled with guilt. Colonello grinned mischievously and patted her cheek, causing his teacher to turn red.

"It would have been weird if you stayed a baby forever, Lal. Don't use that pacifier and grow up, okay?" said Colonello gently. Lal growled even though her cheeks were still red.

"But in exchange for this body, can I make a request, hey!" asked Colonello, his face amused.

"What is it? Do you want me to throw you off Death Mountain?" growled Lal. Her student chuckled.

"Will you train alongside with me once again? That way, we'll be able to learn how to adapt to this body together, hey!" said Colonello, his eyes wide with pleading. Lal felt her face burn.

"Tch! Fine! However it may be, I still will not go easy on you!" barked Lal fiercely. Colonello saluted.

"Whatever you say teacher, hey!" replied Colonello as the two babies walked down together.

_A Few Years Later_

Lal looked down at her student. Years had passed since that incident and just as the man in the checkered hat said, Lal had grown.

"See you later, Lal! I was called by that nutcase Reborn for some kind of meeting, hey!" yelled Colonello cheekily.

"Make sure you come back by 1 for your rifle training! If you don't, I'll shoot you," said Lal menacingly.

"Hehe. If you can, that is. Don't miss me Lal, hey!" yelled Colonello as his pet bird picked him up and flew off.

"IDIOT!" roared Lal, her face red. She sighed as she watched her student fly off.

Colonello never returned.

**END OF FLASHBACK**

Tears cascaded down Lal's cheek as she remembered the past. "It was my fault Colonello died in the first place. If I had prevented him from taking my place, things would have turned out differently. I would have been able to save him…" whispered Lal, her heart heavy with guilt. She glanced at her pacifier and closed her eyes.

Gingerbread who had been silent the whole time burst out laughing. "That was pathetic Lal. How weak," taunted the boy, his eyes glinting evily under the light. Lal clutched her pacifier and tried sitting up. Gingerbread snapped his fingers and the spiders bit into her flesh. Lal gritted her teeth to prevent her from screaming in pain.

"Use it, Lal. Use that pacifier and you may live. Let me tell you something, Glo and I were the ones responsible for the death of that baby…"grinned Gingerbread. Lal growled angrily, her body shaking from both the pain and anger she was experiencing at the moment.

'_Do not use that pacifier, Lal. Grow and live your life well, hey!'_ echoed Colonello's voice. Lal clutched her pacifier and closed her eyes. This seemed to be her only way out of this mess.

"_Forgive me, Colonello. I have to do it…"_ replied Lal mentally. She opened her palm and was about to release her pacifier when something whizzed by her palm, missing it by inches. She turned around, searching for the person who did it.

Mist surrounded Chrome as she approached the scene. She had somehow managed to break down the sun flame infused nets. Her body was shaking with anger as she eyed the enemy with hate filled eyes, something she had never experience before.

"Lal…don't use it…I overheard Uncle Alaude telling Uncle Giotto that if you used it, you would have a high chance of dying…No one else needs to die" said Chrome in a quiet voice that was laced with danger. The image of her younger brother flashed into her head. Mukurowl hooted in agreement.

"I won't forgive you…for what you have done to Lal and that baby…I will take you down!" said Chrome as she clutched her trident. Her Vongola ring glowed and Mist flames appeared. The mist that surrounded her increased.

"Chrome…" whispered Lal, her eyes wide with shock. The girl in front of her was nothing like the shy, quiet, weak girl that she knew.

"I forgot about you…Crap…" muttered Gingerbread uncomfortably. After all, Daemon Spade was an illusionist that even Genkishi feared.

Chrome tapped her trident onto the floor, causing it to break apart. Jumping onto the pieces from the floor, Chrome twirled her trident again, causing magma to shoot out. Gingerbread cussed and jumped out of the way.

Mukurowl spread open his wings, mist flames surrounding his whole body. With a flap of his giant wings, water poured out of the walls, succeeding in engulfing the enemy underwater.

"Tch!" snarled Gingerbread. He fired his broomstick at Chrome. Sun flame infused needles along with spider eggs shot straight for Chrome.

"I won't allow it!" yelled Chrome as she brought down her trident. A barrier made out of Mist flames appeared in front of her. Mukurowl flapped his wings again and the needles were thrown back to its owner.

Gingerbread held out his hands and the incoming projectiles stopped in mid-air. "If you won't take it, then she will!" yelled the boy as he aimed the needles at Lal who had forcibly pulled out the spiders from her body.

Chrome tapped her trident again and Lal disappeared into the Mist, causing the needles to fly straight into the wall.

"Where the he-?" gasped Gingerbread just as Lal reappeared behind him and fired her shotgun. The bullet pierced its target straight through the chest. Gingerbread fell onto the floor, blood oozing out.

"I'll take that, thank you," muttered Lal as she pulled the ring from his finger and broke it. The Sun Mare ring holder was defeated.

Chrome breathed a sigh of relief and fell onto the floor. Lal rushed over and checked her condition. She had to make sure her organs were still in position. After making sure they were, Lal breathed a sigh of relief and picked up the exhausted girl.

Now, to get out of this place and find the others.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"Byakuran-sama. Gingerbread and Dendro Chilum have been defeated," reported a Cervello woman. Byakuran sighed and shook his head disappointedly.

"There goes my rings…How sad…" muttered Byakuran. He opened a marshmallow packet and threw some into his mouth. "Cervello-chan, can you please send out the Mosca's?"asked Byakuran politely.

"I understand, Byakuran-sama," replied the woman with a bow before running back to her position.

Byakuran smiled. The intruders in the base were going to have a bit of 'fun' now.

**WITH GAMMA AND CO**

"What the heck are Mosca's? hissed Gamma into his earpiece.

"They're Spanner's creation. He created them while he was in school. Byakuran is going to send out some right now!" said Shoichi's frantic voice.

"Why the heck does Byakuran have Shoichi's invention?" hissed Gamma again. Shoichi sighed.

"Like I said! He hacked into our system and stole the blueprints! Spanner here forgot to put a password on that file," muttered Shoichi. Gamma sighed.

"Alright, Alright! Where will they be coming from?" asked Gamma. Hayato pulled out a map while the others were on look out.

"From the underground sewage. Don't ask me why. Good luck!" said Shoichi before disconnecting. Gamma cursed.

"I volunteer myself to go and get rid of those robots," muttered Enma uncomfortably even though he had no idea what to do. Everyone looked at him.

"But you can't even light up your Shimon ring! What can you do?" asked Hayato. Enma shrugged.

"I can buy you time. I'll figure something out…" replied Enma. The others looked at him.

"Kufufu…if you insist. Good luck!" said Mukuro as he patted Enma on the head. The Shimon heir muttered to himself before turning round to find an entrance to the underground sewage.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE**

Kyoya swung his tonfa, causing blood from his victims to splatter onto the wall and onto the unconscious bodies around him. "Herbivores…" muttered the skylark as he turned around to walk away.

"Roll, it's time to roll…" said Kyoya with a sadistic grin on his face.

"Piii!" squealed Roll as he transformed into giant balls of spikes.

The Milliefiore base was going to need a lot of repairs when they were done.

**DONE! I apologize for not letting Lal use her pacifier…I didn't want it to be exactly like the original one so I changed…a lot. Don't worry though, I don't intend on letting her not fight. She'll reappear again. I apologize if the chapter was long and quite boring.**

**Anyway, as you can see, the next chapter will be Enma's fight. **

**Review like always! Ciao ciao!:D**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! Dear TsubasaFan1230. I'm really sorry about confusing you at that part. I meant it to be that if it was Spanner who created the Mosca's, why was it that Byakuran was using them as in how did he get his hands on the blueprints. I hope that helped. **

**Here's Chapter 14!**

Chapter 14: Gola Mosca

"YOU'RE SENDING ENMA ALONE TO FIGHT A GROUP OF ROBOTS?" yelled Cozart. The man in the mafia suit turned to glare at him before looking around to see if they had attracted any unwanted attention. Giotto looked at his friend with a questioning look on his face.

"Well technically, they're not robots. They're Gola Mosca's," replied Gamma's calm voice on the other end.

"My point is how could you let him do it? You know very well that he can't do much!" hissed Cozart impatiently.

"Enma volunteered himself to be the decoy while we continued into the base. He told us that he'd figure something out. Crap, I need to go. We seem to have run into a big mess…" muttered Gamma.

"Wait, Gamma! Where is Enma at the moment?" asked Cozart urgently.

"Down at the sewage," replied Gamma before he cut off his communication device.

"Did something happen to Enma?" asked Giotto, his voice concerned.

Cozart sighed as he rubbed his head. "Nothing yet but he's going to take on a group of robots or Gola Mosca's as they call it, soon," replied Cozart worriedly.

"Gola Mosca's hm? That would be interesting…" mused the stranger excitedly.

**WITH ENMA**

Enma had no idea what he was doing. He had graciously volunteered himself to take on a group of deadly robots that according to Spanner, stopped at nothing until their opponent was dead. When Enma asked Spanner why on earth did he have to make such a horrifying creature, Spanner merely shrugged his shoulders and said: "It seemed cool."

Enma had never felt such a strong urge to strangle the mechanic to death.

Enma looked around. The sewage seemed so dark and lonely. The only sound that could be heard was the running of dirty water and the squeaking of rats, something that made Enma shudder. He was afraid of rats. The wall he was leaning against was covered with moss and dirt.

"Spanner, I don't see the Mosca's. Are you sure they're coming?" asked Enma a few minutes later.

"Positive. Wait for another 5 minutes and they'll arrive." replied Spanner in a cool voice. Enma felt his body go cold.

"So how do you take out a Gola Mosca?" gulped Enma. Spanner kept quiet as he thought about it.

"I'm not sure…I was sure to cover up any weaknesses they had…" replied Spanner coolly.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" squeaked Enma. He was shaking all over. After all, he had never been in battle once in his whole life. Heck, he didn't even know how to punch.

"Trust your instincts. And by the way, these Mosca's use Dying Will Flames, meaning they are really hard to take out," said Spanner cheerfully. In other words, 'you're screwed'.

"I can see my life flashing before my eyes. At this rate, I'll see Tsuna in no time," mumbled Enma.

"They're coming! Get ready!" said Spanner seriously, his voice dropping all the cheeriness. "Don't worry, I'll help you."

"All the more reasons to feel worried," gulped Enma. He turned to his right. The sound of incoming rockets filled the sewage.

"They look terrifying!" squeaked Enma as the Mosca's approached. Enma did a quick head count and to his short relief, he counted only 4. To much of his horror, they were huge. Compared to them, Enma was like a rat.

The Mosca's were large, humanoid robotic suits that were equipped with what looked like alien technology. Despite being scared out of his skin, Enma had to admit that Spanner's creation was awesome.

"Amazing…the Milliefiore must have increased their size…My original creation was a bit smaller than that…and look at that…they're covered by 20, 000 layers of nano-skin…Enma, did you know? I named them 'Gola Mosca's' because of their face. Don't you think it looks like flies?" chattered Spanner. He was obviously in love with his own invention.

"You know…S-Spanner…I-I would a-agree with you if…they weren't f-fighting a-against m-me…" squeaked Enma, his eyes wide with fear. Smoke blew out of the long tubes from the Mosca's face.

"Oh my goodness…They look scary," squeaked Shoichi's voice weakly from behind.

"INCOMING!" yelled Spanner as the first Mosca, who had finally noticed Enma slammed his giant fist onto where Enma had been standing a few minutes ago. If it wasn't for the fact that Enma was a great dodger, he would have been smashed.

The second Mosca, who had sensed Enma's movement through his radar, raised his arms and took aim at Enma. His fingers popped open and bullets whizzed out at top speed.

"AHHHH!" yelled Enma as he ran to the nearest wall and hid himself behind it.

"Enma! Get up! The third Mosca is going to fire missiles next!" yelled Spanner. Enma gulped and took off. True enough, just as he left his spot, a loud boom echoed throughout the room. The impact of the explosion pushed Enma towards the nearest wall.

"Ow…" muttered Enma as he rubbed his face. He turned around. The 4 Mosca's were now flying straight towards him. Apparently, Spanner had been creative enough to add in Jet-Propulsion legs to his inventions.

"JUMP ENMA!" roared Spanner's frantic voice.

"JUMP WHERE?" roared Enma back. The Mosca's were coming closer.

"YOUR RIGHT!" yelled Shoichi from behind. Taking a deep breath, Enma jumped to his right just as the Mosca's slammed head first into the wall.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"The heck was that?" yelped Cozart. As they ran through the never ending corridors, they had felt a slight tremor.

"I don't think it was an earthquake…" muttered Giotto.

"It seems like something is going on below is…" said the stranger mysteriously.

"Enma!" said Cozart, his eyes wide with panic. Without wasting any more time, he ran on ahead with Giotto and the man following close behind.

**BACK TO ENMA**

"Don't. Move. Let them pass…" whispered Spanner. Enma froze in his hiding spot. Huge footsteps boomed as the Mosca's stormed through the sewers. The footsteps stopped as they passed by where Enma was hiding. The young Shimon felt his heart stop beating.

"DUCK!" yelled Spanner out of the blue as the Mosca's huge hand slammed through the wall. Enma cussed and ran out, his legs moving as fast as they could. It seemed like these Mosca's could sense him.

The Mosca's started giving chase, firing as they flew.

"AHHHHHH!" yelled Enma. He dodged and miraculously evaded the bullets.

"Teeheehee! You sound funny, Shimon boy," laughed a familiar voice through Enma's earpiece.

"T-T-Talbot!" yelped Enma as he ran round a corner and jumped over some trash.

"You're making your siblings worried. They're listening to your every movement this moment," said Talbot calmly.

"H-Hi e-everyone!" yelled Enma politely. A missile flew past him and collided into a crate. Enma skidded in his tracks and turned left.

"Enma, you've forgotten about your Shimon ring, haven't you?" sighed Talbot. Enma whacked his head. He had totally forgotten about it. Reaching for his back pocket, he pulled out the ring and slid it onto his finger.

"What can I do with it? You know very well I can't light it up!" yelled Enma as another missile flew past his head.

"That's why I'm here to teach you about it; first off, you need to know that the Shimon ring is special. The Shimon rings were created to rival the Dying Will Flames of the Sky. They are known as the Dying Will Flames of the Earth. That is why Byakuran fears the Shimon family," said Talbot smartly. Enma examined his ring.

"Now, feed it your resolve and light it up," ordered Talbot. Enma gulped.

"But I can't—" started Enma before he was rudely interrupted by Talbot.

"I'm sure you will be able to now. Do it!" said the old man forcefully. Enma sighed and did as he was told. A few minutes later, much to his astonishment, a red-brown flame appeared. Enma gasped and nearly stopped in his tracks just to admire the flame.

"You see, I forgot to tell all of you that the ring just needed to get used to the holder. This is why all of you couldn't light up your rings the first time," said Talbot happily. Angry grumbling followed behind.

"Anyway! Use the gift I gave to you before you left! Good luck! I'm passing this thing back to Spanner!" cheered Talbot.

Enma sighed and pulled out the mittens Talbot gave him. It was ridiculous. What did the old man want him to do with a pair of woolen mittens anyway?

"Put them on, Enma! We don't have time to waste, you know!" said Spanner impatiently.

"They're on but nothing's happening!" yelled Enma, his voice filled with panic.

"Talbot says to put your hand in your other pocket. Apparently, he left something for you," said Spanner. Enma hurriedly did as he was told and pulled out two round-looking pills.

"What is this? Medicine?" asked Enma. Spanner sighed.

"Just eat it! You'll—" said Spanner before a loud explosion echoed throughout the room, followed by Enma's yell.

"Enma?" called Spanner. He tapped his keyboard. Nothing happened. "ENMA!" yelled Spanner again.

No one replied.

**IN THE SEWAGE**

"_Papa! Look at what I can do!" said 3 year old Enma excitedly as he ran to where Shimon Cozart was sitting comfortably, book in hand. He smiled at his son who had somehow managed to make his way onto his father's lap. _

_Enma pointed his hand at the nearby apple tree and an unripe apple dropped onto the ground. A few minutes later, the apple went back up again. Enma repeated it several times before allowing the apple to drop onto the ground. He looked at his father, his eyes excited._

_Cozart whistled. "Amazing, Enma! How'd you do it? Could it be? You have magical powers?" joked Cozart cheerfully even though he already knew the answer. Enma giggled._

" _Maybe one day, I can make the house fly!" said Enma cutely. Cozart patted his son on his head lovingly._

"_Just remember to bring it down, okay?" grinned the Shimon boss. Both father and son laughed._

The 4 Mosca's slowed down their speed and came to a stop. Combining all four of their missiles, they had fired together at Enma, throwing him towards the wall. The spot where Enma had slammed into was now filled with smoke, making it nearly impossible to see anything.

Red-brown light filled the spot just as the Mosca's were suddenly thrown back by some unknown force. All four of them fell into the sewage water with a loud splash.

"And that's only the beginning…" said a cool, calm voice as the smoke cleared up, revealing it to be none other than the Shimon heir. Enma who had been panicking and yelling his head off a few minutes ago now had a calm yet dangerous atmosphere around him. It was dangerous enough to make a grown man cry.

The change of atmosphere was not the only thing noticeable of Enma. There was now a red-brown dying will flame on his forehead. His eyes which were filled with fear just a few minutes ago now bore the symbol of the Shimon family.

Just like Tsuna, the mittens given by Talbot had transformed, not into gloves but into gauntlets. The gauntlets covered up his arms and had formed what wing-like armor on his shoulders. The symbol of the Shimon family were engraved on the other side of both gauntlets. If that wasn't enough, they were even surrounded by rings of text.

The Mosca's shot out of the water, their target focused on the boy in front of them. All four of them aimed their fingers at Enma again and fired. This time, instead of running and dodging, Enma merely held out his hand and the bullets fell onto the floor.

"There's still much more…" said Enma calmly. Red-brown flames shot out of his gauntlets and soon, Enma was in the sky, along with the Mosca's. Once up in the air, Enma swung his right hand and the first Mosca slammed into the wall.

This was just like that time with the apple.

The second Mosca opened his chest armor, revealing what looked like a circular device. The device glowed and a few seconds later, dying will flames shot out, aiming straight for Enma.

Enma closed his eyes and held out his hands. The flame bounced off what looked like an invisible force shield and headed straight for the Mosca who fired it in the first place. The Mosca tried moving but something was holding him in place, resulting in him receiving his own attack.

"Gravity Manipulation," said Enma coolly as he released his hold on the Mosca. The Mosca fell onto the floor with the boom. Unfortunately for Enma, the attack did little damage and the Mosca got back up again.

'_20,000 layers of nano-skin.' _was what Spanner had said. Enma bit his lip. This was going to take forever.

What the Mosca's did next surprised Enma a little. They grouped up together and the three Mosca's surrounded the fourth one. They opened their chest armor and fired their dying will flames at him, surprising Enma. Were they destroying one another?

Unfortunately for Enma, this was not the case. As the flames hit the Mosca, he grew in size and dying will flames surrounded him. Enma gulped. This did not look good.

After donating their flames to what seemed to be the Mosca King, the three Mosca's combined together with the Mosca King, creating an even bigger Mosca. Sweat dripped down Enma's face as he watched the scene.

Mosca King breathed out a huff of smoke and turned his head towards Enma. With amazing speed, he charged forward and almost managed to grab Enma. Enma cursed as the Mosca King turned around and tried again. Despite its size, it was quick.

'_I have to separate the Mosca's from the King if I want to win this match…'_ thought Enma as he managed to reflect another missile that was headed in his direction. The Mosca King charged forward, firing away as he did.

"That's it!" muttered Enma to nobody in particular. He jumped out of harm's way and held out his arms. "Gravity Spheres," yelled Enma. Small sphere like objects appeared from nowhere, surrounding Enma like a protective shield. The Mosca King stopped in his tracks and flew back. He could sense that it was something powerful.

"Spanner, you gave your robot too much intelligence. It's making my life harder…" muttered Enma. He pointed his hand at a sphere and aimed it at the Mosca. The Mosca flew out of harm's way. Enma sighed.

"In that case, I'll use that!" mumbled Enma. He closed his palm and the gravity in the spheres increased drastically. When that was done, Enma collided the spheres together, causing black holes.

The Mosca King huffed out smoke as the black holes did their best to pull him in but with no success. Enma cussed and increased the gravity of his black holes.

After a few minutes of struggle, the first Mosca body flew off the Mosca King, followed by the rest. They vanished together with Enma's black holes, disappearing into nothing. Enma did a silent cheer.

The Mosca King huffed out smoke again. He opened his chest armor again and the flames started charging up again. Enma embraced himself for the impact. Once charged, the Mosca fired familiar looking orange flames at a high amount.

"I-Is that…the X B-Burner?" yelled Enma, recognizing the technique at once. After all, he had watched Tsuna perform this technique numerous times. How did the Mosca know about it, what more use it?

'_Spanner! It had to be him! He once observed Tsuna use this technique!"_ yelled Enma's thoughts. How he wished he could strangle the mechanic.

Using all his might, Enma brought his hands together and created another gravity sphere, this time a little bigger than before. The Sky flames collided with the sphere with a force large enough to push Enma back. Despite that, Enma kept the sphere in place, sending every last bit of the flames away.

The Shimon heir fell onto the ground with a thud. He was exhausted. The last attack had sapped every last bit of energy from him. The dying will flame disappeared from his forehead and his eyes went back to normal. His gauntlets changed back to mittens and the flame on his ring flickered away.

Enma looked up. The Mosca was approaching him fast and there was nothing he could do. _'Maybe, this is how it'll end…'_ thought Enma tiredly. With that in mind, he closed his eyes and expected the pain to come. It never did.

"Zero Breakpoint Breakthrough," said a familiar voice. Enma's eyes snapped open and there in front of him was his Uncle Giotto in Hyper Dying Will Mode, his eyes calm. Ice covered the struggling Mosca slowly.

A gunshot echoed the room, causing Enma to have a near heart attack.

"The Mosca will only die when their Ingenium Core is destroyed…" said the stranger in his deep voice as he blew the smoke away from the tip of his gun. Giotto grinned and nodded.

"ENMA!" yelled a familiar voice. Enma turned to his right just as Cozart bent down, his face filled with worry.

"Papa…what are you all doing here?" asked Enma tiredly. Cozart breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are we doing here? We came to get you kids. What were you all thinking, barging into the Milliefiore base like that?" said Cozart, his voice filled with failed anger. Enma grinned as his father picked him up and placed him on his back.

"It's a good thing you're all right…" said Cozart with an easy going grin. Enma nodded and closed his eyes. Giotto smiled at his friend.

"That's one kid found. A lot more to go…" muttered the stranger with a sigh. He kept his gun back into his jacket and straightened his fedora.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"Oh I hate snakes…" muttered Lambo with a gulp.

"EXTREME SNAKES! THEY MAKE GOOD SKIPPING ROPES!" roared Ryohei enthusiastically.

"HAHAHA! How fun!" roared the man by the name Baishana as he eyed his two opponents with excitement.

**IN SECTOR C**

"Hehehehehe! How fun!" cheered the man named Cappucino happily.

Takeshi laughed, his katana drawn. "I agree! This is a fascinating room by the way!" said Takeshi good-naturedly.

"Oh it is…and it'll be the last room you'll ever see…" grinned Cappucino.

**ELSEWHERE**

"Whoops…there goes that wall…" said Kyoya boredly as Roll damaged yet another wall. Without a second glance, he walked on.

After successfully taking down another wall, Kyoya came face to face with Mukuro who had been separated from Hayato and Gamma.

"Pineapple head," greeted Kyoya menacingly.

"Overly depressed freak," replied Mukuro with the same menace as Kyoya. Both boys glared at each other.

"Shesheshe! Who dares disturb the prince?" chuckled a voice. Kyoya and Mukuro turned around and came face to face with a man with blond hair that covered his eyes. Beside him stood his butler who glared at the two boys.

"Oya oya? Is that a Mare ring I see? In that case, let's have fun," grinned Mukuro eerily, his trident in hand.

"This place is filled with herbivores begging to get bitten to death!" said Kyoya sadistically, tonfa's in hand.

**IN SECTOR D**

"Genkishi…" growled Gamma, his cue tightly clutched in his hand. The man in front of him looked at him with his dull eyes.

"Gamma. Have you found Princess Uni?" asked the man coldly.

"Don't you dare say her name with those traitorous lips of yours!" snarled Gamma, lightning cackling around him.

"Is that so? I see G dumped his son with you…How sad…" said Genkishi dully. Hayato snorted.

"Shut up…I will defeat you," growled Hayato, his eyes burning with excitement.

"So be it…" replied Genkishi boredly, swords in hand.

**DONE! There, I just listed out who'd fight with who. So, who do you all want to see in action first? Tell me and majority vote wins! Until then, ciao!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! Hey there everyone! I apologize for not updating in a long time. I was busy and stuff like that. Anyway, for all of you out there who didn't know, I wrote a new story called 'The Beginning of Everything' which is a prequel to my first fan-fiction. To all of you who read and reviewed/story-alert/ author-alert and stuff like that, THANK YOU!XD Thank you all for reviewing this story too! **

**For this week, I've decided to write about Ryohei and Lambo's fight. For everyone who wanted the cloud and mist fight, I'm so sorry but I just can't seem to think up a perfect fight scene without making it boring. Please be patient. :)**

Chapter 15: Serpente Tempesta

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Baishana and this young man here is Nigella Beankabul. He is my assistant," said the man wearing a white turban. The man beside him glared hatefully at Ryohei and Lambo. He was completely bald with two tattoos, one on his head and another on his face.

"MY NAME IS SASAGAWA RYOHEI AND THIS IS LAMBO!" roared Ryohei, his voice echoing around the spacious room. Lambo whimpered at the large serpent behind Baishana who hissed threateningly.

"Thou are too loud. Thou needs to be silenced!" said Baishana with an annoyed look on his face. Lambo blinked.

"T-Thou? Onii-san, what does 'thou' mean?" asked Lambo blurly.

"IT MEANS WE NEED TO BE EVEN MORE EXTREME!" replied Ryohei with a laugh. Lambo sighed.

"I don't think that's the definition of it…"

"Vongola brats! How dare you show your cowardly face here?" growled the man named Nigella.

"It doesn't matter, Nigella. They are going to die anyway…" snickered Baishana tauntingly. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a box weapon. Igniting his ring, he injected it into the opening of the box and out came a flying carpet generated from Storm flames (much to the amazement of Ryohei and Lambo).

"Now, let's begin!" boomed Baishana's voice as his carpet begun to fly higher in the air. He waved his hand and the giant serpent started to move, hissing and snarling as it made its way to its prey.

"Please oh great serpent! Please spare me! I'm only an innocent 13 year old boy who has plans to find his real father in the future and to get married!" sobbed Lambo pathetically as he fell onto his knees and started confessing.

"Lambo! Get out of the extreme way!" roared Ryohei as he jumped in and pulled his brother away. A split second later, the giant serpent snapped its jaws menacingly at the place where Lambo stood a few minutes ago.

"So close!" cooed Baishana in the air.

"I just saw my life flash mysteriously in front of me," mumbled Lambo.

"Guarhhh! That was extremely dangerous! Lambo! You just stay put!" roared Ryohei. Lambo all but nodded. Turning back to his opponents, Ryohei raised his fist. The serpent hissed and turned around, the Storm flames flickering dangerously on its back.

"It's my turn! Kangaryuu!" yelled Ryohei enthusiastically. His ring glowed and a few seconds later, Kangaryuu appeared, a serious atmosphere surrounding it.

"You can summon a Sun-based Kangaroo without the need of a box weapon? I sense that Talbot had something to do with this…" said Baishana with a frown. "I admit, it's quite a unique creature but no one has been able to survive my Serpente Tempesta in a long time," continued the Milliefiore guard as he snapped his fingers. The serpent snarled and slithered once more to where Ryohei and Kangaryuu stood.

"Onii-san!" gulped Lambo, cold sweat running down his face. The serpent was moving in closer, its jaws opened wide revealing its sharp humongous teeth. Ryohei merely stood at his spot, unmoving. As the serpent got closer, Ryohei finally raised his hand and pointed it at the serpent.

"GO KANGARYUU!" roared Ryohei. Kangaryuu nodded and leapt into the air. With fast movements that would have put other kangaroo's to shame, Kangaryuu kicked the serpent with its large feet. The snake hissed in pain and slammed into the nearby wall, creating a large 'boom' as it did.

"GREAT JOB KANGARYUU!" roared Ryohei happily as he high-fived with his pet. However, his joy was short-lived because all of a sudden, Kangaryuu started twitching and a few seconds later, Kangaryuu burst into red flames a fell onto the floor, growling and writhing in pain.

"KANGARYUU!"

"I forgot to mention it to thou, Serpente Tempesta destroys its prey with the degeneration characteristic of the Storm flames on its back. That's why Byakuran-sama favors me so much," chuckled Baishana. The serpent got back on its belly and hissed menacingly.

"In the end, the Sun flame is much more inferior to the Storm flame!"

Ryohei growled angrily, his hands clenched into fist. "I extremely disagree with you. By that saying that, you are putting Uncle Knuckle to shame and I can't just stand here and listen to your insult. I will extremely defeat you!" growled Ryohei, his voice serious.

Baishana laughed merrily. "And how do thou plan on doing that? Thy pet is out of the game and I see that thou are unarmed! It is my win!" boomed Baishana boastfully. Ryohei cracked his knuckles and pulled up his jacket sleeves.

"A boxer is always ready. Come Kangaryuu!" roared Ryohei. Kangaryuu grunted and in a bright flash of yellow, something shot out of its pouch and landed into Ryohei's hands.

"That's…"

"A p-pair of b-boxing gloves?" stammered Lambo, his eyes wide.

"I also forgot to extremely mention that Kangaryuu is not a normal pet. He was created by Talbot to act as a support for me. For example, these Sereno gloves were made in Kangaryuu's pouch by using a special plant that Talbot found," said Ryohei seriously. The gloves on his hands bore the logo of the Vongola Sun Guardian.

"Let me show you what I've learned in 7 long years…" said Ryohei. The Vongola ring on his finger ignited and the Sun flame flickered brightly.

'_I've never seen Onii-san so serious in my life…'_ thought Lambo as he watched Ryohei face his opponent coolly. The Ryohei of a few minutes ago who had been yelling 'EXTREME' on top of his voice was nowhere to be seen.

"Oi kid…I can't let you sit here and do nothing, you know…" said a voice. Lambo jumped and turned his head around slowly. Nigella was looking at him, weapon in hand and face filled with excitement.

"Tch! Lambo!" said Ryohei, his eyes looking back and forth at Baishana and Nigella as though he didn't know who to attack first.

"Don't worry about me, Onii-san. Take care of the man in front of you. I'll handle t-this g-guy," muttered Lambo with false bravado. Mustering all his courage, he turned around and did a thumbs up at Ryohei. Ryohei grinned and nodded.

"It's about time you brats fought for real," chuckled Baishana as he lifted his hand again.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"I'm pretty sure Shoichi said to turn right."

"No you idiot! He said to go straight!"

"No! I'm confident it's left!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Instinct!"

"IDIOT!"

The three men looked around with confused looks on their faces. They had reached a crossroad and had no idea where to go.

"What do we do now?" growled G angrily. Why oh why did he agree to follow these two around the base? He should have stuck with Giotto. It was Hayato's fault in the first place for coming here with the rest. Oh the horrors he would do to Hayato when he found him.

"Let's just split up and walk down a road each," suggested Asari not too brightly.

"Shoichi said not to split up…"

"DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE NEEDS!" roared Knuckle enthusiastically.

"Keep it down you stupid boxer!"

"What was that Pink-head?"

"What did you call me?

"Now, now, let's all calm down…"

A loud explosion followed by a loud 'EXTREME' echoed through the base, stopping the fight among the three men. All of them looked at each other, their eyes wide.

"We're going right!" declared Knuckle.

"What a good thing he has such a loud voice…"

"I just hope he's doing fine." said Asari worriedly. He thought about Takeshi and his blood went cold. There was no time to waste.

**BACK TO LAMBO AND RYOHEI**

"So thou claims that thou will destroy my serpent? Hahahahaha! Try and thou hands will get obliterated!" laughed Baishana haughtily. Ryohei looked at him coolly, his eyes serious.

"We won't know until we try!" replied Ryohei. He charged forward with speed faster than the human eye could catch and punched the snarling serpent straight in the forehead while yelling "MAXIMUM INGRAM!"

Serpente Tempesta flew back and slammed once more into the concrete wall, creating a loud cracking sound that would've woken the dead. Lambo who had been running around, dodging a large bear with cloud flames shrieked again in terror and jumped out of the serpent's way.

"The same trick again? It won't work on—" started Baishana before something large fell onto the concrete floor. Much to Baishana's horror and Ryohei's excitement, the scales from the serpent started cracking and falling onto the floor.

"M-My Serpente Tempesta! I-Impossible!" gasped Baishana. He turned to Ryohei who stood at his spot, unhurt. "T-Thou! Thou hands should be destroyed!" Ryohei grinned.

"You underestimated the Sun flame. When the Sereno gloves are charged with the Sun flames, the gloves can produce a high-speed healing ability that even your Storm flame degeneration cannot match. This is the power of the Sun flames!" said Ryohei, his fist held in front of him.

"TCH! Of course! I had totally forgotten about that! And that weird looking footwork! You've obviously met up with the Varia elite squad Sun guardian, Lussuria!" cussed Baishana. Ryohei nodded.

Baishana's look of anguish turned into joy and he started laughing. "Amazing. Thou are amazing! I congratulate thou on surviving this far but this will be the furthest you'll go! I'm not done with you yet!" said Baishana gleefully.

"What does that extremely mean?" asked Ryohei blurly. Baishana laughed and looked around.

"Thunder Set!" yelled Lambo as electricity cackled around him. He charged and hit the bear straight in the stomach, throwing him back. The bear roared in pain. Nigella cussed.

"Curse you! How could you do that to my An Orso di Orco?" roared Nigella angrily.

"Believe me, I just asked myself the very same question."

"Does thou see that box weapon, Sasagawa Ryohei?" asked Baishana as he pointed at the bear that was starting to grow in size, much to Lambo's horror. Ryohei frowned and nodded.

"Nigella's box weapon is an A-class animal, meaning it is of very good quality. Of course, I intend on making it mine!" laughed Baishana. He snapped his fingers and the serpent got onto its belly again. With a snarl, it made its way to where Lambo, Nigella and the animal stood.

"LAMBO! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" yelled Ryohei. Without even bothering to see the reason why, Lambo did as he was told. The serpent charged forward and opened its jaws. With a loud snap, the jaws closed down on its prey which was the demon bear and Nigella Beankabul who's eyes were wide with utmost surprise.

"B-Baishana…w-why?" gasped Nigella. Half of his body stuck out of the serpent's mouth, blood dropping gorily onto the floor. Taking in his last breath, Nigella closed his eyes and his body went limp. Lambo's body shook with fear.

"U-Unforgivable…How could you do that to your own comrade?" yelled Ryohei angrily. Baishana snorted.

"Comrade? He was nothing but scum. Just like Gamma and the rest of the Giglio Nero. Did thou know? After Princess Uni disappeared, I opened my eyes and saw that my brothers from Giglio Nero were nothing but weaklings. That's why I decided to join Byakuran-sama and eliminate the weak. Thou Vongola are the same…" replied Baishana. Ryohei growled.

Serpente Tempesta swallowed and hissed again. The Storm flames on his back increased and his wounds started healing. Baishana laughed again. "Vongola brat, let's see you take this one on!" roared Baishana as he waved his hand again. The serpent hissed and started to pull its body into a tight position. It then proceeded to lunge at Ryohei.

"Now die, Vongola brat!" yelled Baishana as the serpent aimed straight for the boxer. Ryohei ignited his ring again and this time, he flew, much to everyone's astonishment.

"O-O-Onii-san…can fly," muttered Lambo. What was the world coming to?

With the Vongola ring ignited on his finger, Ryohei lifted his gloves and yelled "Maximum Ingram!" on the top of his lungs. With fast footwork, Ryohei slammed his fist onto the back of the snake, creating a large hole on the concrete wall. The snake screamed.

"S-Serpente T-T-Tempesta!" yelled Baishana in disbelief. Ryohei landed calmly on the concrete floor.

"A-Amazing…O-Onii-san is amazing…" muttered Lambo. He looked at the serpent and shuddered.

"Tsk! Don't get too cocky, kid!" hissed Baishana. He pulled out a box weapon and ignited his ring. A few minutes later, storm coated beetles appeared from the box.

"Cervo Volante Tempesta! Serpente Tempesta may have lost but I'm not done yet!" yelled Baishana. He pointed his finger at Ryohei and Lambo.

The storm stag beetles flew in at top speed. Ryohei who was now exhausted by using too much of his stamina barely managed to dodge all the attacks. Lambo, who had amazing agility when it came to running, was able to outrun the beetles while yelling 'MAMA'.

'_This is extremely bad! I won't be able to extremely keep up with them soon!' _thought Ryohei. "LAMBO! USE YOUR THUNDER SET AND EXTREMELY GET RID OF THEM!" roared Ryohei.

"THUNDER SET?"

"YES!"

Lambo gulped and nodded his head. Turning around, he adjusted his horns and was about to yell 'Thunder Set' when the impossible happened.

Lambo disappeared and in his place stood 3 year old Lambo who looked around in confusion.

"LAMBO? THIS IS EXTREMELY BAD TIMING!" yelled Ryohei, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"GYAHHH! THERE ARE SOME RED BUGS THAT WANT TO EAT LAMBO! BOSS!" screamed the child as he started throwing grenades all over the place. The Storm beetles buzzed angrily and went in for the sting.

Moving as fast as he could, Ryohei abandoned the insects that were trying to sting him and ran towards Lambo.

"EXTREME PICK-UP!" yelled Ryohei as he grabbed Lambo and narrowly dodged a wall.

"But he was a teenager a few minutes ago…" muttered Baishana to himself in confusion. "Oh well…"

The Storm beetles charged in closer. Ryohei, seeing that there was nowhere else to go to, stood his ground and ignited the Vongola ring. As the beetles got closer, they suddenly exploded, must to Ryohei and Baishana's astonishment.

"I-Impossible! H-How could this be?" gasped Baishana. Ryohei scratched his head, shrugged and placed Lambo gently on the ground. As he did, the bazooka's effect wore off and 3 year old Lambo switched places with his future self who was now covered with cuts and bruises.

"L-Lambo? What happened to you?" asked Ryohei in astonishment.

"Bovino destroyed…boss left a note for me to run…nearly died…gunshots…" muttered Lambo before passing out.

"Bovino? That young boy is from the Bovino family?" asked Baishana with arched eyebrows. Ryohei nodded.

"So this young boy is Lampo's son?" asked Baishana with an amused expression.

"Well, Uncle Lampo took him in and Lambo's been calling him 'Father'…"said Ryohei thoughtfully, ignoring the fact that he was still fighting with an enemy.

"Uncle? My dear boy, this is Lampo's flesh-and-blood son! Did thou not know? Lampo knocked up the young heiress from the Bovino family!" said Baishana with a shake of his head.

"Knocked up? As in he punched the woman? Uncle Lampo sure is an extremely rude man!" said Ryohei with a disapproving look on his face.

"Are you an idiot? No matter. Well, I'll be leaving now. It was a nice experience fighting thou…" said Baishana politely as his eyes eyed the exit. He knew he was screwed if he stayed behind.

"It was a nice experience fighting you too! Good day!" replied Ryohei good-naturedly.

"WAIT A MINUTE! I EXTREMELY WILL NOT LET YOU LEAVE!" yelled Ryohei after his brain slowly processed whatever he had just said. Baishana growled and snapped his fingers. His carpet gave a jerk and flew at full force towards the exit.

" CRAP!" yelled Ryohei as he activated his gloves and charged after Baishana.

"Too late boy!" yelled Baishana gleefully as he got closer and closer to the exit.

"EXTREME PUNCH!" roared Ryohei and an unknown man at the same time. Ryohei's fist came in contact with the back of Baishana's head while another fist hit him hard on the face. It was a total K.O. Baishana fell onto the ground with a thud.

"That looked painful…" muttered G's voice. He sighed. Asari laughed nervously.

"EXTREME!" yelled Knuckle enthusiastically.

"UNCLE KNUCKLE!"

"RYOHEI!"

For the next few minutes, Ryohei related whatever had just happened to his uncles. Knuckle then proceeded to pick Lambo up and started healing him.

"You two are lucky that you didn't die!" growled G. Ryohei nodded sheepishly.

"Real men do not die that extremely easily! Anyway, Takeshi is a few blocks from us. He volunteered to fight all by himself against that creepy looking man. I sure hope he's okay…" said Ryohei as he tried to change the subject.

Asari's eyes turned serious. "G, Knuckle, you two go ahead first. I'll go help Takeshi," said Asari and with a wave, he ran out of the room. G growled.

"What about not separating?"

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"Lal Mirch…we have been ordered to take you out," said a man in a deep voice. His face was covered with a mask and he wore the white Milliefiore uniform.

Lal growled and gently sat Chrome against the wall. Arming herself with her weapons, she turned and faced her opponents.

"That is fine with me…I've been dying to kill you Milliefiore dogs anyway…" growled Lal.

This time, she was going to fight alone.

**DONE. Sorry if it was kind off not up to your expectations. Please review anyways! Until next time, ciao ciao!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**P.S The events in this chapter are not following the original one. **

Chapter 16: A Slight Drizzle

"Hey, before we start, can I ask you a question?" asked Takeshi, his face serious. In his right hand sat his Vongola ring and the katana he had just pulled out of his bag. His opponent snickered.

"Alright! I might as well grant you this last wish before you die! What do you want to ask?" croaked Cappuccino.

"Why is your hair so long?"

"What?"

"Your hair. Didn't you know that having long hair is more difficult to take care of? You're just like Squalo-sensei!" said Takeshi, his eyes filled with curiosity.

It was true. Cappuccino was an old man who had long brown hair, a reason unknown to most of the Milliefiore guards. However, no one wanted to ask Cappuccino the reason why because frankly, they didn't want to know. It sent shivers up their spines whenever Cappuccino combed his hair in a loving manner.

"Such insolence! How dare you insult my hair like that!" yelled Cappucino angrily.

"I wasn't insulting it. I mean, I've always wanted to touch Squalo-sensei's long white hair for a long time but whenever I try, he'd swing his sword at me," replied Takeshi with a grin as he remembered the last time he tried to pull Squalo's hair. It ended with the destruction of the second floor of the Vongola mansion and Squalo running for his life from two very pissed looking Vongola guardians namely Alaude and G.

"Varia's Squalo? Ridiculous! My hair is way better than his!"

Somewhere in Italy, Superbi Squalo sneezed loudly, waking the dead as he did.

"Enough chit-chat! Take that!" barked Cappuccino as he took in a deep breath and spat at Takeshi's direction. Much to the young Rain wielder's surprise, instead of spit and other disgusting things found in the mouth, needles shot out.

Takeshi jumped out of the way in the nick of time. With impressive force and speed, the needles slammed straight into the wall. Takeshi breathed out a sigh of relief and stood up. A sharp sizzling sound was heard and he turned around, his eyes widening in shock. The wall was starting to melt slowly, purple goo dropping down onto the floor.

"That's…" said Takeshi with a frown on his face. He was sure he had seen this technique before.

"Amazing isn't it? I once observed the Poison Scorpion at work and copied her technique! After numerous test, I finally found the perfect solution to be immune to her poison and thus, creating this technique!" laughed Cappuccino.

"Hayato's sister? No wonder it looked familiar…"muttered Takeshi as he held up his katana.

"HEHEHE! No good, boy! Here I come!" yelled Cappuccino. He sucked in his breath again and spat out the needles. The number of needles increased along with their speed and dangerous level.

"Kojirou!" yelled Takeshi at the same time. His ring glowed and a few seconds later, Kojirou appeared in a flash of blue. Just like always, he was covered by blue Rain flames. Spreading out his wings, Kojirou soared in front of his master and charged straight for the incoming needles.

The flames surrounding Kojirou increased drastically, creating a Rain barrier in front of Takeshi. Upon collision, the needles that were moving at a high speed a few seconds ago started slowing down and finally came to a stop.

"I-Impossible!" gasped Cappuccino. Takeshi grinned and held up his katana. Nodding once at Kojirou, Takeshi held up his katana and charged towards Cappucino. Kojirou flapped his wings and flew towards Cappucino. As he flew, a slight drizzle followed behind him.

"A-A r-rain s-swallow?" mumbled Cappucino, his eyes fixed on the bird.

"Shajiku no Ame!" yelled Takeshi as he thrust his katana that was now coated with rain flames.

The sound of metal piercing echoed throughout the room.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

Lal Mirch peeked from her hiding spot, panting and sweating.

"She ran this way! Hurry!" yelled a man's voice as footsteps ran by her. Lal held her breath and waited until her pursuers ran past. She then proceeded to check her wounds. Blood was oozing out of a wound on her right arm. This was on one of those occasions did she wish she had a Sun flame.

With a sigh, she tore a piece of cloth and wrapped it tightly around her wound. Beside her, Chrome was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her face. Lal frowned and touched her forehead, feeling her skin burn a little as she did.

Oh why oh why did Chrome have to get a fever right now?

Lal cussed and resisted the urge to slam her fist against the wall behind her. She reached for her ear only to remember that her communication device had been broken during the fight against Gingerbread. According to Shoichi and the rest, she was now stranded alone with Chrome in the Milliefiore base.

Or that's what they thought.

Lal's mouth grinned as she reached for her pocket and pulled out another earpiece. What a good thing she trusted the nagging feeling inside of her to steal another earpiece from Giannini. Lal pressed a few buttons before placing the device into her ear.

"SHOICHII! ANSWER IF YOU CAN HEAR ME!" barked the ex-commander forcefully before clamping her mouth in realization. She looked around again, hoping that no one heard her. As they said, old habits die hard.

"L-L-L-L-LAL?" shrieked Shoichi's voice into her ear. Lal cussed as the mechanic apologized. In the back, Lal heard Daemon yell her name and the sound of scrambling mixed with Alaude's 'herbivore' as the illusionist made his way beside Shoichi.

"Lal, what happened? We lost communication with you and Chrome and—" started Shoichi before Lal cut him short.

"No time to explain Shoichi. We're being pursued by those dogs. Please ask Knuckle to come to the North wing. I'm all right but Chrome is running a high fever and is severely injured. Hurry up!" said Lal gruffly.

"H-Hold on one second, D-Daemon-san. I-I know C-Chrome is hurt b-but w-what you're doing is n-not helping us at all! P-Please p-put the table d-down!" squeaked Shoichi's fearful voice. Lal sighed. She could just imagine what the over-protective father was doing.

"I heard her around here! This way!" yelled a voice that almost made Lal's heart stop beating. She cussed. In a few minutes, she was going to be discovered.

"See you later, Shoichi. They're here…Make sure you contact Knuckle and bring him here!" growled Lal.

"L-Lal…Please wait for a moment!"

"What?"

"Alaude-san asked you not to use 'it'. He asked you to remember your promise to C-Colonello-san," said Shoichi quietly.

"See you later," replied Lal before cutting her device off. Alaude knew everything, even her promise. Reaching for her pocket again, Lal pulled out the corrupted pacifier and clutched it tightly. The footsteps came closer, sounding like a herd of elephants stomping over.

"This will protect you for a while…" muttered Lal as her Cloud Centipede wrapped itself protectively around Chrome. Taking one last look at Chrome, she walked out to face her enemies.

"THERE SHE IS! KILL HER! SHE'S ALREADY WEAK!" yelled the guards. Holding up their guns, they fired.

'_I'm sorry, Colonello…' _thought Lal as she closed her eyes and held up her pacifier.

**FLASHBACK**

"I wonder what will happen if I use this…" muttered Lal curiously as she examined the pacifier that stuck to her chest.

"NOOOO! DON'T USE IT! I FORBID YOU, HEY!" yelled Colonello in a panicked tone. He swung his rifle around and fired it at Lal who narrowly dodged the bullet.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" roared Lal angrily at the now sheepish looking Colonello.

"Sorry. It's just that you scared me for a moment there. Don't ever use your pacifier, hey!"

"Why? What'll happen to me?"

Colonello's eyes turned dark as he sat his rifle down and crossed his arms. "I asked that man once and he told me you'd never grow up. Either that or if you were lucky, you'd be paralyzed for a few days, hey!"

"P-Paralyzed?" stuttered Lal in surprise. Colonello nodded darkly.

"Apparently, your curse is different from the rest of the Arcobaleno. If we use our pacifier, nothing will happen but if you use it, there will be a risk, hey!" replied Colonello. He looked at Lal, his eyes serious.

"Lal, promise me you'd never use it in your life. Even if it's a life and death situation, you'd never use it, hey!" said Colonello as he held out his tiny pinkie.

Lal eyed her student's pinkie with an arched eyebrow. "I-Idiot! Why would I use it anyway?" asked Lal as she turned her head around.

"Come on, Lal! Just promise me! I don't want to lose you, hey!" replied the Arcobaleno sweetly. Lal turned red.

"Hmph! F-Fine! Such a ridiculous thing…" grumbled Lal. She held out her finger and Colonello grinned. As the two fingers crossed, Colonello grinned.

"There! Now you can never, ever use your pacifier, hey!"

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"W-What's going on? The pacifier is glowing! W-What's happening?" asked a soldier in fear.

"She's an Arcobaleno?" gasped another soldier.

Lal looked at her pacifier with calm eyes. Her student was an idiot. Even though he had warned her not to use her pacifier, he had accidentally told her once on how to ignite her pacifier. All she needed to do was to convert her life with the pacifier in exchange for Rain flames. As she did, the scars on her face started increasing in size and soon, a large amount of Deathperation flames surrounded her.

"SHOOT HER! SHOOT HER BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS!" yelled the commander. The sound of guns firing echoed throughout the room but none of the bullets touched Lal. "I-It's not working!" yelled a soldier.

"Fools..." said Lal coldly. In a blink of an eye, she disappeared and reappeared behind the group of soldiers. Arming herself with her weapon, she fired. Screams of pain filled the corridor as blood splattered gorily onto the walls.

"With the power granted by this accursed device, you cannot take me down…" said Lal. With fast movements, she disappeared and reappeared behind the second in command and gripped his neck. With a loud snapping sound, the man fell limp onto the floor.

"C-Cervello! Do you read us? C-Cervello? B-Byakuran-sama!" yelled a soldier in desperation. No one replied. Lal charged towards him and fired. The soldier screamed and fell onto the ground, unmoving.

"DO NOT GIVE UP! TAKE HER DOWN! FOR BYAKURAN-SAMA!" roared the commander bravely. Lal snorted and the image of her dead student appeared in her mind.

"_It's my fault. My fault Colonello is gone from this world. My fault for not fighting back when he wanted to take my pacifier! My fault!" _screamed Lal inside as she continued to eliminate the soldiers around her without mercy.

"_It would have been better if I had died in his spot…"_ thought Lal as tears finally streamed down her face and onto the floor. Using her full strength, she whacked the nearby soldier at the back of his neck, causing him to fall onto the floor.

"GUARHHH!" yelled the commander as he jumped from behind and brought down his Storm flamed coated knife. Lal took a step right and narrowly dodged the attack. The commander growled and turned around for another swing but Lal was faster. Grabbing his fist, she twisted it and slammed her fist into his stomach. The commander coughed before falling onto the floor.

Lal looked around. The soldiers were now moving back in fear as Lal slowly approached them. The floor rumbled and Lal jumped back. From out of the blue, 6 men dressed in Milliefiore costumes with mask had appeared wielding different types of box weapons.

"T-The Six Strongest Soldiers of The Milliefiore! We're saved!" yelled a soldier in relief as he ran towards his saviors. His comrades did the same.

The six soldiers nodded at each other before jumping into position. They surrounded Lal Mirch and ignited their rings. Twirling them in a weird circle, they then injected their rings into their boxes. As soon as they pointed their box at Lal, chains that were coated with different types of flames shot out and wrapped themselves around Lal who merely stood there.

"Now! Kill her!" roared the soldier with the Rain flame. Pulling out a Rain flame coated gun, he fired over and over. His comrades did the same but with different types of weapons.

"I-Is she dead?" gasped a soldier. As soon as the words left his lips, he got his answer.

The chains exploded, throwing everyone back.

"I-Impossible!" yelled one of the soldiers.

"A weak attack like that will have no effect on me…" said Lal calmly. The flames that surrounded her had increased in size. In a flash, she disappeared and begun her silent killing spree. The sounds of the soldiers screaming in pain echoed once more throughout the corridor.

A few minutes later, Lal looked around, panting. Everywhere she looked, all she saw were unmoving bodies. She had managed to defeat all of them single-handedly.

The flames surrounding Lal slowly died down. Filled with sudden body ache and fatigue, Lal Mirch forced herself to where Chrome was sitting and fell down beside her. The effects that came after using the pacifier was starting to kick in fast. Lal felt her eyesight go blurry.

"Colo…nello…" whispered Lal before passing out in the corridors of the Milliefiore base.

**BACK TO TAKESHI**

"Amazing…Squalo-sensei's hair doesn't do that!" gasped Takeshi in awe. He had charged forward with his katana and would have hit Cappuccino in the gut if it wasn't for the fact that Cappuccino's hair had protected him.

"HEHEHE! That is why my hair is anytime better than that shark's hair!" laughed Cappucino. He waved his hand and using his hair, Takeshi slammed back-first into a wall.

"Ow…that hurt…" muttered Takeshi as he rubbed his head. He then looked at his enemy, eyes serious. "I won't miss the next time!" growled Takeshi. If he lost here, he would be disappointing Squalo, Tsuna, his family and most of all, his father, Asari Ugetsu.

Cappuccino laughed. "Really? How will you be able to fight if you don't have a katana?" asked the old man gleefully.

"Wha-?" started Takeshi but was interrupted by a loud cracking sound.

The katana that Takeshi held had snapped into two. The blade fell onto the floor, leaving Takeshi with only the handle.

"How did you?" murmured Takeshi, his eyes wide with surprise, not believing what he had just seen.

"HEHEHE! You fool of a boy! Don't you remember? It was that time when you attacked me earlier with your katana. As I threw you back, I silently sliced your katana with my hair!" laughed Cappuccino.

"You hair can cut?" asked Takeshi in awe despite his situation. As far as he knew, all Squalo's hair could do was sway in the wind or whack you in the face.

"Oh…my hair can do much, much more!" yelled Cappuccino gleefully. As he said that, his hair started moving on its own. Using his fingers almost lazily, Cappuccino pointed at Takeshi and his hair started moving on its own. With amazing speed, the large chunk of hair made a grab for Takeshi who jumped out of the way in time.

"Hehehe! Let's have fun, little boy!" screeched Cappuccino. He pulled out a box and injected his ring into the opening of the box. A few seconds later, his box animal appeared. It was a large octopus looking object that stuck itself to the ceiling of the wall.

"Testa di Polpo! It's feeding time anyway!" laughed Cappuccino as his hair made another grab for Takeshi.

Takeshi 'tched' as he jumped out of the way. Thanks to his athletic skills, he managed to dodge the large clumps of hair that reached and stretched for him. Turning back, he flung the handle of what used to be his katana at Cappuccino who protected himself easily with the help of his disgusting hair.

"Pointless! You really are a fool! Now you are defenseless!" laughed Cappuccino.

"It seems that way…" replied Takeshi sheepishly.

"Give it up, boy! You might as well die here. Even if you live, you'll never make it through Byakuran's power!" yelled Cappuccino.

"We will defeat Byakuran. Mark my words…" said Takeshi seriously. Cappuccino laughed.

"Those eyes…You really are a Vongola. Well then, if you won't give yourself up, I'll take your pet first!" grinned Cappuccino. He snapped his fingers and his hair grabbed the unsuspecting Kojirou.

"KOJIROU!" yelled Takeshi as Cappuccino threw the bird towards his box weapon. The creature opened its mouth and swallowed Kojirou. Takeshi growled angrily.

"HEHEHE! Testa di Polpo was getting hungry anyway!" laughed Cappuccino.

Takeshi reached for his pocket and pulled out a dynamite stick that he had found in the hallways of the Vongola mansion (Hayato had dropped it while running from G) a long time ago. Using the technique he and Tsuna had tried once before to light up fireworks unbeknownst to the adults, Takeshi ignited the dynamite.

"_I sure hope this does something," _thought Takeshi as he flung the dynamite at the box weapon. The dynamite exploded, filling the whole room with smoke. Unfortunately for Takeshi, even though he had managed to harm the creature, it had miraculously mended itself again.

"HEHEHE! Testa di Polpo can never be destroyed! You see, just like my hair, it can be regenerated by Sun flames," grinned Cappuccino as he held up his ring.

"Oh well, at least I tried…" muttered Takeshi as he scratched his head. Cappuccino grinned and with the help of his sun flames, his hair successfully grabbed Takeshi.

"At last! I caught you! Hehehe! You can go and join your beloved swallow!" laughed Cappuccino. Using his hair again, he threw Takeshi straight for the mouth of his box weapon that greedily opened its mouth to take in its new meal.

"I feel like I'm floating in jelly…" thought Takeshi as he floated inside the creature. Holding his breath, Takeshi reached for Kojirou.

"HEHEHE! NOW YOU CAN STAY THERE UNTIL YOU GET DIGESTED!" yelled Cappuccino happily. Takeshi looked around, searching for a way out. It sure was a long way down.

Hurried footsteps approached the room and in ran Asari Ugetsu, much to Cappuccino's surprise.

"I seem to be lost…Excuse me but do you know the way?" asked Asari good-naturedly as he grinned at Cappuccino, not seeming to notice that there was a large octopus handing on the ceiling or that his son was floating in its stomach. Heck, he didn't even seem to notice that he was talking to a Milliefiore guard.

"Asari Ugetsu? The Vongola's famed swordsman?" gasped Cappuccino, his eyes still wide with surprise.

"Do I know you?"

"HEHEHE! NO NO! What luck this is! If I get to defeat you, I'd be famous!" said Cappuccino gleefully.

"Defeat me? Could it be? You're a Milliefiore soldier?" asked Asari.

"Of course! Now let us begin! I've already caught your son. See!" yelled Cappuccino in excitement as he pointed at the box weapon on the ceiling. Following his finger, Asari looked and much to his horror and anger, he saw Takeshi who was still looking around with a confused look on his face.

"TAKESHI!" yelled the swordsman worriedly.

Takeshi looked down and broke into a wide grin. "DAD!" greeted Takeshi only to release air bubbles. Seeing that he couldn't talk, he waved cheerfully despite being trapped in an animal's stomach.

"You'd better release him before I kill you…" said Asari, his voice calm. The air of cheeriness that surrounded him a second ago had disappeared and was replaced with an aura that promised death if necessary.

"Make me!" taunted the old man stupidly.

Asari reached for his own katana but was stopped by Takeshi who had made Kojirou go back into his ring state and had thrown the ring at his father. As Asari looked up, Takeshi shook his head and pointed at himself. He then pointed at Cappuccino.

"But…" started the swordsman worriedly. Takeshi grinned his goofy grin and did a thumbs up. With a sigh, Asari nodded and took a few steps back. "But be warned, Takeshi. If you get seriously injured, I'm stepping in," called Asari seriously. Takeshi nodded.

"Oh? Did he just say that he wanted to take me out himself? HEHEHE! That would be interesting to see seeing that he has no weapon left…" grinned Cappuccino. Asari's eyes flashed with worry. Takeshi broke into a wide grin.

"Jirou, it's your turn!" called Takeshi mentally. A bright flash of blue appeared and Jirou the dog appeared. "Yosh! Let's do it!" thought Takeshi. Jirou nodded surrounded himself with Rain flames. Moving forward, he barged through the eye of the box weapon and leapt down 30 feet from the ceiling. It then landed gracefully on its feet, putting any cat to shame.

"I-Impossible… My box weapon!" gasped Cappuccino.

"AHHHH!" cheered Takeshi as he followed his pet and jumped much to Asari's horror and Cappuccino's disbelief.

"SAFE!" yelled Takeshi who had defied the laws of gravity and had landed perfectly unharmed on the ground.

"U-U-Unbelievable…" gaped Cappuccino.

"It's about time I took you out…" said Takeshi as he approached Cappuccino.

"Tough talk for a brat but you don't even have a weapon in hand!" countered Cappuccino, his hair flaying wildly. Asari slowly reached for his katana.

With a cheeky grin on his face, Takeshi reached for his back and pulled out a kendo sword, making Cappucino burst into laughter.

"Ridiculous! Have you given up all hope? What good can a kendo sword do?" asked Cappuccino.

"Here I come!" yelled Takeshi. Holding his sword into position, Takeshi charged once more. "KOJIROU!" called the young boy. The swallow appeared and flew in front of Takeshi, creating a large amount of Rain flames as he did.

"USELESS! IT'LL JUST BE LIKE JUST NOW!" roared Cappuccino. His hair covered protectively in front of him.

"We won't know until we try! Shigure Soen Ryu: Scontro di Rondine!" yelled Takeshi as he swung his sword at Cappuccino. A loud explosion sounded, forcing Asari to cover his face.

"Takeshi?" called Asari through the smoke. A few minutes later, the smoke slowly dispersed, revealing Takeshi standing in front of Cappuccino, a katana in his hand. Cappuccino's long brown hair had disappeared and in its place was his original short white hair. Even his box weapon had disappeared. The man had long fainted.

"That's over," sighed Takeshi tiredly as he slumped onto the ground only to be caught by his father.

"Takeshi! You're safe!" said Asari in relief. He pulled his son into a hug and grinned widely.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I should have told you we were going…but you know…you would have said no and all…" grinned Takeshi sheepishly. Asari laughed.

"I'd admit you kids gave us quite a scare this morning but thinking back, that's what I use to do when I was younger. In fact, all of us did the same thing!" said Asari as he helped his son to stand up. Takeshi grinned.

"But that still does not mean you kids are off the hook. I believe G said something about it being a long time before you kids ever see the sun again…especially Hayato…" said Asari seriously.

"Oh well, let's all worry about that when we get home!" laughed Takeshi.

**DONE. Once again, thank you so much for the reviews you guys send me! I really appreciate that fact that you actually take the time to read this fan-fiction of mine! Until then, ciao ciao!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU! Dear Twelfth Legion, I'm sorry if I made you confused in the previous chapter. Lal converts her life into Rain flames. The stronger her flames, the closer she is to death. Once again, I'm so sorry that I wasn't clear about it. **

**Anyway, thank you all again for all the reviews you guys have sent! I really, really appreciate all of them! :D **

**Here's Chapter 17!**

Chapter 17: Cloud & Mist

**SOMEWHERE IN THE MILLIEFIORE BASE**

"Hmm? Gingerbread-chan, Baishana-chan, Dendro-chan and Cappuccino-chan were taken out?" asked Byakuran in his normal sing-song voice. He was slouched lazily on his sofa, a bag of open marshmallows beside him.

"Yes, Byakuran-sama. Apparently, they were beaten by the Vongola kids. Gingerbread's Mare ring was broken," replied one of the Cervello women as she handed a piece of paper to Byakuran who merely gazed at it lazily.

"I'm impressed! I didn't expect Vongola Primo's kids to do so well! Hm…Oh well…there goes the Mare ring…" said the Milliefiore boss with a grin on his handsome face. The Cervello women looked at each other.

"You don't seem upset that the Sun and Rain Mare rings were broken," stated the Cervello women as they recalled Glo Xinia's ring.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Cervello-chan? I am upset! Can't you see the look or anger and distress on my face?" asked Byakuran with a smile on his face. He looked anything but upset. The two Cervello women looked at each other again but didn't say anything.

"Then please excuse us, Byakuran-sama," said the Cervello women with a bow before walking out of the room.

As soon as the doors closed shut, Byakuran got up, stretched and yawned. Being a boss was quite dull and boring to him. All he did was sit in this room while his subordinates ran around the base, protecting it from intruders or just patrolling. The only time he left this room was when he attended meetings or inspected the base.

Walking towards his desk, Byakuran opened a drawer and took out a black box with the logo of the Milliefiore imprinted on it. To him, the contents of this box were far more important than the world.

Byakuran tapped the lock and the lid opened, revealing 5 colorless pacifiers. He sighed. All he needed now was the Sky pacifier but of course, Uni had to disappear at the last moment, making her whereabouts untraceable.

With a hum, Byakuran reached for a photograph underneath the pacifiers. Placing his prized possessions onto the table gently, the young Milliefiore boss examined the contents of the photo and his smile disappeared. How long had he forgotten that this thing actually existed, the main reason he desired to awaken the Tri-Ni-Sette.

The phone on the desk rang and Byakuran picked it up.

"Cervello-chan! How nice to hear from you again! Hm? Vongola Primo has broken into the base as well? How lucky! Alright! I'll be there as soon as I can!" said Byakuran happily before putting the phone down again.

"Uni-chan…things will work out my way, whether you like it or not…" said Byakuran to no one in particular as he stuffed the photograph into his pocket and slowly walked out of the room.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE BASE**

An explosion echoed throughout the base, causing a mini earthquake and nearly made some of the Milliefiore guards pee in their pants. Smoke filled the room, making nearly impossible to see anything.

Four figures jumped out of the smoke screen, two landing on the right and the other two landing on the left.

"Kufufu…that was dangerous…" chuckled an eerie voice.

"I will bite you to death for causing such a ruckus!" growled a menacing voice.

"Olgert you idiot! Were you trying to kill 'ore-sama'?" yelled a man's voice.

"F-Forgive me, Rasiel-sama! That was not my intention! I will be more careful in the future!" said another man's voice, this one deeper and apologetic.

The smoke slowly cleared up, revealing Rokudo Mukuro and Hibari Kyoya on the right and two unknown men whose names were Rasiel and Olgert on the left.

Rasiel was a man with long blond hair that covered his eyes and had a crown sitting majestically on his head. Unlike other sane people who fought while standing up, he was sitting comfortably on a throne that used Storm flames to fly. On his right stood a large burly man with dark skin and four symmetrical scars on his face. He was dressed in the most butler-ish costume and was using Rain flames to fly.

"Kufufu…it's such a pity that the both of you managed to survive that explosion…No matter, this means I can fight as much as I can…" said Mukuro with an evil grin on his face.

"SHESHESHE! That's a bold statement from a low-class like you. How dare you show your face in front of one like me?" said Rasiel boastfully. Olgert was shaking with fury.

"Fool! How dare you wish for such a thing? Rasiel-sama is the last heir to the throne, the future king! For someone like you to wish for him to be dead, you need to be brought to justice!" said Olgert angrily.

"All of you are getting on my nerves. I am going to bite you all to death!" growled Kyoya angrily, his tonfa's raised.

"SHESHESHE! Interesting, interesting! Olgert, you deal with that low-class with those hideous weapons and I'll take care of the one that resembles Daemon Spade," ordered Rasiel.

"Yes, Rasiel-sama!" replied Olgert politely before focusing on his opponent who was now back to back with the person he hated most in the world.

"Kufufu…I feel disgusted saying this but I trust you to take care of my back, Kyoya…" said Mukuro with a sly grin on his face as he raised his trident in front of him. Kyoya eyed his sibling with his cold eyes.

"I hope you die pineapple head…" growled the skylark.

"I hope you do to, weakling…" replied Mukuro with a smirk.

Yes, no matter how weird it sounded, the both of them had just agreed to watch each other's back.

"Now…let me show you how the underworld looks like…" said Mukuro eerily as the kanji on his eye changed to the number '1'. He then tapped his trident and the ground started to grumble. A few moments later, large pillars of fire surrounded by lotus veins burst from the ground and went for Rasiel who flew out of the way.

"Die!" yelled the Funeral Wreath as he flung a knife at where Mukuro stood.

"Kufufu…" chuckled the illusionist, the kanji on his eye changing again to the number '4' and this time, his eye was surrounded by Mist flames. With sudden agility and speed, Mukuro dodged the knife and leapt from the ground. He swung his trident at Rasiel who moved his flying throne back. Not pausing to take a break or slow down, Mukuro charged forward and kicked the throne back, causing it to slam into the nearby wall.

"RASIEL-SAMA!" yelled Olgert in panic as he quickly tried to rush over to his master, only to be stopped by Kyoya.

"Your opponent is me!" growled the skylark. Kyoya swung his tonfa's, narrowly missing Olgert by an inch.

"Cursed brat! Take that! Mertello della Terra!" roared Olgert as he injected his ring into his box weapon. In a bright flash of blue, an elephant covered in Rain flames appeared, ramming into the spot where Kyoya was standing.

"That takes care of him!" muttered Olgert with satisfaction. Just as he was about to turn, his elephant gave a bellowing cry, making Olgert turn back.

With a bright flash off purple, the Rain elephant was thrown back, revealing large purple spikes .

"W-What i-is this?" gasped Olgert.

"Thank you, Roll," said Kyoya with a smile on his face. Roll squealed in delight. How he loved his owner. Turning back to his opponent, Kyoya's grin disappeared.

"Get ready, herbivore!" growled Kyoya as he charged. Olgert cussed and jumped out of the way by activating his Rain boots.

"Doppio Terra!" boomed Olgert again, his ring ignited. This time, two elephants covered with Rain flames appeared and headed straight for Kyoya.

"Roll…" called Kyoya calmly. The hedgehog squealed again and multiplied, pushing the elephant back.

"I see…a cloud flame hedgehog. No wonder it's multiplying so fast!" murmured Olgert to himself as he raised his arms to protect himself from Kyoya's blow.

"Wow…" said Kyoya, his face impressed that someone had managed to deflect from his tonfa's.

"Don't underestimate me, boy! As Rasiel-sama's butler, I will destroy you!" said Olgert in his deep voice. Clenching his fist, Olgert punched Kyoya who managed to block in time. The impact of the punch, however was strong enough to make Kyoya slam into the ground below.

"And now, for Rasiel-sama…" muttered Olgert as he made his way to his master.

"You brat! How dare you injure me?" shrieked Rasiel. He lifted his arm to show the tiny cut he had received from slamming into the wall.

"Kufufu…that is nothing compared to the things I have planned to do…" chuckled Mukuro eerily. Rasiel cussed and clenched his fist.

"SHESHESHE! That was a smart idea but I'm sorry to say that your end is near!" laughed the future heir suddenly, his tongue hanging out.

"What do you m-?" started Mukuro with a slight frown on his face before he was interrupted by a loud "ELEPHANTE TRIPLICARE!" Mukuro turned around only to find three rain coated elephants heading straight for him.

"Kufufu…oops…" said the illusionist as he held up his trident in front of him. Rasiel's maniac laughter echoed throughout the room.

A steel tonfa came flying to where Mukuro stood and slammed into him, pushing him into the nearby wall. Rasiel stopped laughing as he realized that now that Mukuro was out of the way, the elephants would come straight for him. Without wasting any time, he jumped out of the way moments before the elephants slammed into the wall.

"R-RASIEL-SAMA!" yelled Olgert in panic. In a flash, he was by Rasiel's side.

"What the heck were you thinking, Olgert? Were you trying to kill me?" snarled the heir angrily. Olgert shook his head frantically.

"Of course not, Rasiel-sama! It's just that that boy suddenly disappeared!" muttered Olgert as he pointed to where Mukuro stood a few minutes ago.

"I know! I saw it happen too!" snapped Rasiel impatiently. "I'm asking who did it?" growled Rasiel.

"Don't get me wrong…I wasn't trying to save him…I was merely doing him a favor so that he would owe me…" came a cold drawling voice as Kyoya approached the enemies, a single tonfa in his hand.

"Olgert! Weren't you supposed to kill him off? You are useless!" growled Rasiel angrily.

"Forgive me, Rasiel-sama. I was sure I hit him hard…" replied the butler with a regretful frown.

"Well, it wasn't hard enough!"

From across the room, Kyoya's other tonfa flew across, aiming straight for its master who caught it easily with his free hand.

"Kufufu…thank you so much for saving me back there, Kyoya. I am grateful to you for this large lump on the back of my head…" said Mukuro sarcastically as he glared at his sibling.

"You're welcome, pineapple head," smirked Kyoya evily.

"I hate you so much…" growled Mukuro.

"I feel the same way about you…" replied Kyoya as the two boys started glaring daggers at each other.

"SHESHESHE! Now, now! We can't have the both of you fight with each other and forget about 'ore-sama'! I guess it's about time to use 'that'," grinned Rasiel mysteriously.

"R-Rasiel-sama! You're not going to use 'that', are you?" gasped Olgert.

"Shesheshe…" replied Rasiel. Olgert gulped.

"Vongola low-lives…I congratulate the both of you to have survived this long but the next move will end everything… SHESHESHE!" chuckled Rasiel gleefully as he pulled out his box weapon.

"A box weapon…Kufufu…this should be interesting…" murmured Mukuro, his weapon raised. Kyoya did the same.

"SHESHESHE! Farewell," chuckled Rasiel lazily as he injected his ring into the opening of his box. The box opened and out came bats that were infused with Storm flames.

"Pipistrelli Tempesta. As always, Rasiel-sama, you are amazing…" praised Olgert. Rasiel grinned.

"Herbivores!" growled Kyoya impatiently. Grabbing hold of his two tonfa's, he charged forward and swung his weapon at Rasiel.

"YOU BRAT!" roared the butler as he went straight for Kyoya only to be stopped by another large pillar of fire that appeared suddenly in front of him.

"Kufufu…Allow me to introduce you the realm of the underworld…" chuckled Mukuro eerily.

Rasiel grinned and the bats started shrieking, sending out sound waves as they did. Olgert jumped out of the way whilst Mukuro and Kyoya held up their weapons, protecting themselves from the unknown. Slowly, the bats stopped whatever they were doing and for a moment, nothing happened.

"Was that for show?" asked Kyoya with a smirk on his face. Rasiel grinned as Kyoya moved in closer.

"3…2…1!" muttered Olgert as he closed his eyes. He had seen this too many times to know what would happen.

Blood splattered onto the floor, causing Kyoya and Mukuro to stop in their tracks, not knowing what was going on. It took them a few seconds to realize that the blood was theirs. Kyoya looked down to see that his arm was spluttering blood out like a fountain. Eyes wide, Kyoya fell onto the floor, not believing what he was seeing.

"I-I-Impossible…t-that's…" gasped Mukuro as he too fell onto the floor and into a large pool of blood.

"SHESHESHE! Bow before the soon-to-be king! roared Rasiel with laughter. Olgert nodded in agreement.

"Let us report this to Byakuran, Rasiel-sama. I'm sure he'd be pleased," said Olgert. Rasiel nodded and was about to fly out of the room when he was stopped in his tracks.

"Oi, herbivore! You already know their weaknesses so release the illusion!" snarled a voice. Rasiel whipped his head around, his smile fading.

"Kufufu…impatient like always, Kyoya. Be grateful I didn't ask you to become the decoy…" growled Mukuro as the illusion of their dead bodies on the floor disappeared and the both of them reappeared from the mist.

"N-NOOO! That's impossible! How did you?" yelled Rasiel angrily, his hands gripping the handles of his throne tightly.

"It had to be that time when you made that pillar of fire shoot up! We were careless!" growled Olgert as he ignited his ring. Rasiel did the same and his bats surrounded them.

"Kyoya, it's your turn now…" said Mukuro with a sly smile on his face. Kyoya sighed and pulled Roll from his pocket.

"Roll, you know what to do…" said Kyoya as he ignited his Vongola ring. Roll squealed and nodded. He then proceeded to roll himself into a ball of spikes.

"Destroy them! Pipistrelli Tempesta!" yelled Rasiel.

"Elefante Triplicare!" yelled Olgert as three elephants coated with rain flames charged along with the Storm bats.

"Reverse Needle Sphere Form," said Kyoya coldly. Surrounded by purple flames, Roll started to increase in size.

"W-W-What is this?" gaped Rasiel as he covered his eyes from the bright light which got closer and closer to him and his butler.

When Rasiel and Olgert opened their eyes, they looked around only to see that they were surrounded by spikes.

"Now we can fight without any interference from those pesky creatures…" drawled Kyoya's bored voice.

"M-My box weapon!" muttered Rasiel as he searched all over his pockets and his throne. Olgert did the same.

"Reverse Needle Sphere was made to prevent the use of box weapons…" said Mukuro calmly. Kyoya glared at him.

"Not good…" murmured Rasiel.

"R-Rasiel-sama…don't you think it's getting harder to breathe?" whispered Olgert. Rasiel took a deep breath and frowned. It was true.

"That's right. To create this giant space, a large quantity of Cloud flames and oxygen were used up. Whatever you're breathing now was the air left after the dome was created…" said Kyoya calmly as he pulled out his tonfa.

Rasiel looked at his ring and ignited it. To his relief, it lit up and the Storm flame flickered. Apparently this dome only prevented box weapons from entering.

"Kufufu…here we go then!" said the illusionist as the kanji in his eye changed to the number '1'. Cold wind blew into the sphere as ice started creeping up the floor, much to Rasiel's fear and to Kyoya's annoyance.

"Calm down, Rasiel-sama! This is merely an illusion! You have to tell yourself that this is not real!" called Olgert. Mukuro laughed.

"Kufufu…is it really an illusion I wonder…Father always told me this : Lies hidden within the truth. Truth hidden within lies. This is the mist. For example, if I made this snake-" The kanji in Mukuro's eye turned to the number '4' and a snake hissed its way up Olgert's ankle "—crawl up your ankle, would that be an illusion or a reality?" mused Mukuro mysteriously.

Olgert gasped and dropped the piece of cloth on his arm. The snake snarled menacingly at him.

"Or…if I did this…" chuckled Mukuro as his eye changed back to the number '1'. The floor beneath them cracked and started crumbling. Huge holes of lava erupted, trapping Olgert in the imaginary space.

"I-Impossible! W-What is this?" yelled Olgert, his eyes wide with fear. He was falling. Nothing was working. Even when he tried to ignite his ring but no flame appeared.

"Kufufu…so, Milliefiore dog, is it a reality or a fantasy?" echoed Mukuro's taunting voice throughout the room. He slammed his trident onto the floor and Olgert felt something thug on his legs. Much to his horror, he looked down and saw hands reaching and grabbing his leg. There were even faces of people screaming in pain. It was terrible.

"RASIEL-SAMA!" yelled Olgert as his vision became blurry and he passed out due to the strain on his brain and the lack of oxygen.

"O-Olgert! W-What happened to y-you?" called Rasiel as his butler who had been standing in front of him a few moments ago just passed out on the floor, drool foaming at his mouth.

"Kufufu…I merely showed him the world he thought never existed…" chuckled Mukuro eerily. Rasiel bit his lip and gripped his throne tightly.

"Oi herbivore…I hope you're ready to face divine punishment!" growled Kyoya coldly, his tonfa raised. Rasiel flew back in panic.

"W-Wait just a m-moment! You hate B-Byakuran with a burning passion don't you? I-I can help you defeat him! S-Spare me and I'll help you!" yelled Rasiel in desperation.

Cloud flames started surrounding Kyoya's tonfa's. He then approached Rasiel slowly.

"I CAN H-HELP YOU! TOGETHER, WE CAN—" yelled Rasiel before he was smacked in the face by Kyoya's tonfa. With a groan, Rasiel fell off his throne and onto the cold hard floor.

"I despise weak herbivores like you…" growled the skylark just as the dome disappeared.

"Well, that wasn't very fun…" mused Mukuro with a yawn. Kyoya kept quiet as he pulled the Mare ring from Rasiel's finger and stepped on it, shattering it to pieces.

"M-M-MUKURO! ARE YOU THERE?" yelled Shoichi out of the blue, making Mukuro jump.

"Kufufu…are you trying to make me deaf, Shoichi? I swear I will do the same to you if you are planning to do so…" growled Mukuro. Shoichi gulped.

"S-Sorry, Mukuro. I had to check whether you and Kyoya were still a-alive…" muttered Shoichi guiltily. Turning around, Shoichi yelled 'THEY'RE ALIVE' to the others. Sounds of people applauding filled the room.

"Kufufu…I don't know whether I should be insulted or happy that you said that, Shoichi. Putting that aside, how are the others? What about Nagi?" asked Mukuro urgently. Shoichi was silent.

"C-Chrome-san is somewhere in the base with a high fever…We've been unable to reach her or Lal. Spanner has been trying his best to locate them but until now, we've not had any luck…Enma has been saved by his father along with Lambo, Ryohei and Takeshi. Hayato and Gamma are still unknown…" replied Shoichi dryly. Mukuro felt his heart stop beating. His sister was missing?

"I am going to go look for Chrome. Shoichi, I'll be counting on you to look after the rest, understand?" said Mukuro seriously.

"Yes. Where is Kyoya-san? Alaude has been really worried even though he hardly shows anything," said Shoichi. Behind him, Alaude growled, causing Shoichi to squeak.

"Kufufu…Kyoya's—" said Mukuro as he turned around only to see that Kyoya had once again disappeared. "Kufufu…he was with me a few seconds ago…" replied Mukuro. Shoichi sighed.

"I'll go search for Kyoya. You concentrate on finding Chrome. If I'm right, Knuckle and Ryohei should be on their way there," said Shoichi.

"Kufufu…alright. Goodbye."

"Good luck."

Tapping his trident once, Mukuro disappeared into the mist.

**BACK IN VONGOLA HQ**

Shoichi ran his hand through his hair tiredly and looked at his watch. It was already 2 in the afternoon. How long had they been sitting on their chairs searching and looking out for those in the base?

He looked around the room. The Shimon children were still looking tensed. Even though they knew that Enma had been picked up by Cozart, they still worried about their whereabouts. Beside him, Dino was talking intensely with his right-hand man, Romario about their situation. Spanner who was on his left was busy tapping on his keyboard while sucking on his sweet. Nozaru and Tozaru were watching the mechanic with wide eyes.

Daemon was drumming his fingers impatiently on the table and was talking to Mukuro, his voice serious. Lampo was on the line with Knuckle who was recapping what happened to Lambo and Ryohei. By the look on Lampo's face, Shoichi could tell that Lambo had a close shave with death. Alaude was fixed at his spot in front of the screen. He was trying over and over again to connect with Kyoya who had now disappeared once more into the base without anyone following him.

"How is it, Shoichi? How are things?" asked Bianchi as she entered the room with I-Pin.

"Poison Scorpion…most of them are injured but they'll survive. I'm more worried about Lal and Chrome though…" sighed Shoichi as he grabbed his stomach. It was starting to hurt.

"How about Hayato?"

"We can't seem to connect with Hayato. Both he and Gamma must have lost their communicators somewhere along the base," replied Shoichi. Bianchi sighed, her face filled with worry.

"Shoichi…I have this tingling feeling in my veins that tells me that something bad is about to happen to them…" said Dino, his face serious. Shoichi nodded.

"AHH!" yelped Spanner suddenly, making everyone jump.

"W-What is it, Spanner?" asked Shoichi, his eyes alert.

"I-Is Enma alright?" asked Adelheid.

"Did you find Kyoya?"

"Chrome?

Everyone looked at Spanner with expectant eyes. Spanner shook his head.

"I managed to hack into one of their camera's. Everyone, take a look at this!" called Spanner. The sound of chairs being pushed back echoed the room as everyone rushed to the mechanic's side.

The scene showed a smoke filled room with three figures facing off with one another.

"I-is that…Hayato?" murmured Shoichi as he pointed at the figure wielding a strange looking weapon. The smoke cleared, showing that it really was Hayato. There were burn marks on his hands and legs. He even had one eye closed, most probably an injury received while fighting. Gamma too had several injuries all over. A large cut stretched across his forehead.

"HAYATO!" yelled Bianchi, her eyes wide.

"BROTHER GAMMA!" yelled Nozaru worriedly.

"This is not good…" muttered Shoichi as he pointed at the screen.

"Genkishi…the Milliefiore's strongest illusionist…That boy has no chance…" murmured Spanner.

"Curse you, Genkishi!" growled Tozaru angrily.

"G-san! Hayato has been spotted in the East wing!" yelled Shoichi into the nearby microphone.

"I sure hope Hayato's training will pay off…" muttered Dino with a frown on his face.

**BACK AT THE BASE**

"What is this terrible feeling I feel in my gut?" muttered Giotto as he rubbed his head. Cozart looked at him with concern. Enma was still passed out on his back.

"What is it, Giotto?"

"I have this feeling that something terrible is about to happen to us…"

"Not surprising seeing that we're in enemy territory…" replied the stranger seriously. Even so, he eyed his surroundings cautiously. Uni did warn him that something bad was about to happen and to always be on his toes, something he was good at.

"I sure hope it's not anything bad…" muttered the Vongola boss.

**SOMEWHERE IN ITALY**

"Thank you, Falco. Make sure this note reaches Xanxus in 5 minutes, alright? The lives of Uncle Reborn and the Vongola depend heavily on you…" said Uni with a smile on her face. The large hawk nodded and flapped its wings. It was soon soaring in the skies with Uni watching it from below.

"Everyone…" sighed the Sky Arcobaleno, her eyes filled with worry.

"It'll be alright, Uni. I know they'll be fine. There are no other people more suited for this job..." said an unknown person soothingly. Uni smiled and nodded.

**DONE. As everyone can guess, next chapter will have a lot of Genkishi. Well, reviews are always welcomed! :D Until then, see you all again!**

**By the way, can anyone guess who this unknown person is? If you can, I'll dedicate an omake to you. Good luck!:DD**


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! Regarding last week's question, I've decided not to reveal the person until the chapter comes for him/her to appear. Either that or I'll tell you guys at the end of the chapter…**

**Anyway, this week's chapter will be filled with flashbacks. You have been warned. I did take some from the original storyline and changed it here and there. **

**P.S I'm going to make this chapter quite long as I will not be updating for the next two weeks because my term exams are going to start soon. **

**Here's Chapter 17!:D**

Chapter 17: Giglio Nero

**SOMEWHERE IN THE VONGOLA BASE**

"S-Shoichi, who is G-Genkishi?" asked Fuuta timidly as he peeked out from behind Bianchi's back.

"Genkishi is said to be the most powerful illusionist of this era. Of course, since he has never gone face to face against Daemon, we can't be sure…" replied Spanner before Shoichi could say anything. "Oh, the camera was destroyed…"

"Hayato…" murmured Bianchi worriedly.

"Nufufu…I could take that b******d down anytime…" muttered Daemon as he fiddled with his electronic device.

"I'm not so sure…there have been rumors saying that Genkishi managed to eliminate an entire family by himself…" said Spanner absent-mindedly. Daemon glared at him.

"That traitor…To think we treated him like family. Now look at him," growled Tozaru angrily. Nozaru nodded.

"I sure hope Brother Gamma can take care of himself…"

**AT THE MILLIEFIORE BASE**

"TAKE THAT! PLASMA SHOT!" roared Gamma as he aimed his cue at Genkishi and fired his billiard balls. Genkishi leapt out of the way just as the balls slammed into the ground he was standing just a few seconds ago.

"He got him!" yelled Hayato from behind a crate. He had been asked (forcefully) by Gamma to stay out of the fight and all he could do now was take cover and watch. How he hated merely sitting down and doing nothing.

"Impressive Gamma. As to be expected of Aria-sama's bodyguard…" muttered Genkishi in his bored voice. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a box weapon.

"Don't you dare say the boss's name with those filthy lips!" snarled Gamma angrily, lightning cackling around him. Genkishi watched with boredom.

"Byakuran-sama has ordered me to eliminate the two of you. I will do whatever Byakuran-sama wants me to do…" said Genkishi stoically. Holding his box weapon high, he injected his Mare ring into the opening. With a bright flash of indigo, the box opened and as it did, the room started to change.

"W-What is this?" muttered Hayato. Grass had started growing from the ground. Trees and rocks had also started popping up from nowhere. It was starting to look like a forest. Gamma growled.

"That's the box the princess gave you! How dare you use it for the accursed Milliefiore?" snarled Gamma hatefully. Genkishi merely looked at his ex-comrade with bored eyes.

"This box no longer belongs to Princess Uni. It now belongs to Byakuran-sama," replied Genkishi coldly. "Now, let us begin."

"Tch!" muttered Gamma as he aimed his cue straight at Genkishi. The billiard balls floated to the mouth of the cue and lightning flames cackled around it. Gamma then hit the balls, sending them towards Genkishi. However, unlike the first move, the balls now merely surrounded Genkishi.

"Now die, Genkishi!" growled Gamma as he ignited his ring. The balls cackled and shot lightning at Genkishi. Nothing happened.

"I-Impossible…" muttered Gamma in shock. The electrical current that was being produced by his billiard balls were enough to kill a grown elephant and yet, Genkishi was merely standing there, perfectly unharmed. What was going on?

"GAMMA! BEHIND YOU!" yelled Hayato out of the blue. Gamma whipped around to see a missle flying straight for him. Being unable to jump out of the way in time, Gamma took the full force of the blow and smashed into the ground.

"Danza Spettro Spada…" said Genkishi's calm voice as he reappeared from the mist.

"Gahhh! I can't take it anymore! I need to fight!" muttered Hayato impatiently. He was itching and dying to fight.

"Shut up, kid! I told you before! If you fight, you'd die! Besides, this is a battle between 'comrades'," growled Gamma's voice from behind the smoke screen. Hayato cussed.

Gamma sat up and rubbed his head. This was why he hated illusionist. With their sneaky, sly ways of appearing and disappearing, it was never a fair fight. Pushing those thoughts aside, Gamma looked around. Where did that missile come from?

"I'll find out soon enough," mumbled Gamma to no one in particular. Jumping from the ground, Gamma activated his dying will boots and was soon once again in the air.

"Are you done playing around, Gamma?" asked Genkishi. Gamma snorted.

"In your dreams," replied the Lightning guardian menacingly. Genkishi sighed.

"Take that, Plasma Shot!" yelled Gamma as he fired again.

"Not this move again…" said Genkishi boredly. The balls were once again surrounding him. Gamma grinned and ignited his ring.

What happened next caught Genkishi by surprise. The balls started spreading about high in the air and with a snap of Gamma's finger, the electricity surrounding the balls increased drastically, electrifying everything between them including the ground. It was a technique nearly impossible to dodge. Even the walls of the room were not spared.

"Electric Cutter," said Gamma calmly as green light filled the room.

"And does he think about the other people in the room? No!" growled Hayato to himself as the crate he was taking cover behind exploded into flames. He jumped, narrowly missing a stray lightning bolt. "WATCH WHERE YOU AIM THAT THING!" yelled Hayato as he waved his fist angrily at Gamma.

"Impressive Gamma…you distracted me by purposely using that 'Plasma Shot' attack and then only used your 'Electric Cutter'…I'm sorry to say that your attack only managed to scratch me," said Genkishi as the lightning died down .

Gamma smiled. "I never meant to use this attack to kill you, Genkishi. Injuring you was actually a bonus," replied Gamma. Genkishi arched a hairy eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that, Gamma?" asked the illusionist. Gamma pointed at the wall behind him. Turning around, Genkishi's eyes opened wide. The wall had been hit by the lightning a few minutes ago and was now halfway destroyed. Indigo colored slugs were dropping from the wall.

"How?" asked Genkishi in surprise.

"From your first attack just now with the missile, I knew it had to somehow connected with your box weapon and seeing how the room started changing once you opened your box, I came to a conclusion that your illusions was your box weapon," said Gamma smartly as he held up his cue. "I see…so they are slugs…not surprising seeing that you're like one…" muttered Gamma in disgust.

"Great job finding out about Spettrale Nudiblanc. The question is, how are you going to destroy it?" asked Genkishi calmly as he reached for his sword.

Gamma snorted. "You're not the only one with Box Weapons, Genkishi. The princess also gave me a box weapon. Colulu, Widget!" called Gamma. In a bright flash of green, two black lightning coated foxes appeared, growling at Genkishi.

"Oh? Nero Volpi…Interesting then…" mused Genkishi, his sword in hand. Colulu and Widget took off, heading for the slug-filled walls as their master raised his cue again.

"Surrender to Byakuran-sama, Gamma and we will spare you…" said Genkishi, his sword pointed at Gamma.

"I'll never join that monster," growled Gamma, his cue aimed at Genkishi.

"Very well then. Goodbye, Gamma," said the illusionist before raising his sword and charging forward.

With fast hand and feet movements in air, Genkishi swung his sword.

'_Fast!' _thought Gamma as he narrowly dodged a blow to the head. He fired his billiard balls at Genkishi who disappeared once again into the Mist and reappeared with amazing speed. Using only his feet, Genkishi kicked Gamma in the stomach, pushing him back by a few inches.

Genkishi didn't stop there. In a flash, he appeared behind Gamma and swung his sword, managing to slice Gamma in the back.

"G-GAMMA!" yelled Hayato in shock as he watched the man fall collide with a nearby wall. Colulu and Widget stopped whatever they were doing and flew towards their master.

"Goodbye, Gamma…" called Genkishi. He ignited his ring and his box animal started clumping together. In a few seconds, they turned into millions and millions of missiles, all aimed at Gamma. Colulu and Widget cackled with lightning.

'_Princess…'_ thought Gamma as the missiles headed straight for him.

**FLASHBACK**

"What is it, Gamma? You know I'm busy. If you're here to flirt, I can tell you that I brought a gun with me…" muttered Aria threateningly as she leaned against the balcony and looked at the view in front of her, her eyes dazed.

"Nah…I don't want to risk getting shot by you. I'm here to talk," said Gamma with a smile as he handed Aria a can of coffee, something she took slowly.

As she slowly sipped her drink, Aria turned to look at her subordinate with questioning eyes.

"Boss…you've been crying, haven't you?" asked Gamma, nearly causing Aria to spit her drink out.

"I-I wasn't crying…" replied the Sky Arcobaleno stubbornly, her eyes closed.

Gamma snorted. "Don't lie to me, Boss. Your sleeves are wet…." pointed Gamma. Aria kept silent as she tried to cover the evidence.

"You've been like this ever since we saved that Tsuna boy from the wreckage of his home and sent him to that woman's house a year ago. This isn't the first time you've done this…5 years ago, this happened after we visited the houses of the candidates for the pacifier…Boss, it's not your fault…" said Gamma gently. Aria was silent.

After what seemed like forever, she finally smiled and said "It's been getting worst lately…"

"Sorry?"

"You may not be able to believe me but our blood is cursed…It was the same for my mother…"

"Cursed?"

"Yeah. To make things weirder, I was gifted with the gift of foresight…"

"What?"

"Hahaha…Ridiculous is it not?"

"Well, it is hard to believe…"

Aria laughed, making Gamma break into a smile. "But, my dead mother did tell me once…No matter what we see, if we want our surroundings to be happy, just smile!" continued Aria cheerfully.

"Your mother was right on that one…" muttered Gamma as he turned around, his face turning red. Aria laughed again.

"Time is running out, Gamma…I don't have much time left in this world…" mused Aria with a sigh. Gamma looked at her with a confused look on his face.

"What do you mean, Boss?"

"It's nothing. Well, it was quite relaxing talking to you, Gamma. I have to go back to my boss-ly duties. Good night!" said Aria with a smile on her face. She threw her now empty can at Gamma who managed to catch it in time.

"Boss you are evil…" muttered Gamma with a shake of his head as he turned back around to admire the view alone.

"Gamma," came Aria's voice from the doorway. Gamma turned around to see that Aria was halfway out the door, her back facing him.

"What is it, Boss?"

"Thank you for everything…this will be the last time we'll meet. I hope when you meet _her_, you'd be able to get along just as well as you did with me…" said Aria in a strange voice.

"W-What? What do you mean, Boss?" asked Gamma, panic entering his heart.

Aria turned around and smiled cheekily before waving and walking back into the mansion.

_THE NEXT DAY_

"M-M-Missing?" asked Gamma, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Aria-sama was not in her room or anywhere else in the mansion this morning…" said Genkishi, his voice disturbed. "It seems as though she walked out on us…"

"That's impossible! THE BOSS WOULD NEVER DO THAT! I-I WAS JUST TALKING TO HER YESTERDAY!" yelled Gamma in frustration.

"G-Gamma! Calm down! You're not the only one upset by this!" yelled Genkishi as he tried to restrain his comrade.

"LET GO, GENKISHI! WE NEED TO LOOK FOR HER!" roared Gamma in desperation.

"GAMMA! CALM DOWN! THE BOSS WILL RETURN! LET US WAIT FOR HER TO RETURN!" yelled Genkishi as he tried his best to restrain the man.

"LET GO, GENKISHI! THE BOSS WON'T COME BACK! I CAN FEEL IT!"

"GAMMA!"

"B-BROTHER GAMMA! PLEASE CALM DOWN!" yelled Nozaru as he flung himself onto Gamma who was now surrounded by Lightning flames.

"G-Gamma! Control yourself!" yelled a nearby man in panic.

"BOSS!" yelled Gamma as the lightning increased in size, cackling dangerously. His comrades had now pulled out their weapons and were trying their best to calm him down.

"_This will be the last time we'll meet."_

**A FEW MONTHS LATER**

"Still no sign of the boss?" asked Tozaru tiredly as he slumped onto the nearby sofa and reached for the glass of water on the coffee table. The atmosphere in the room immediately became dark.

"No. We are no closer to the boss's location than we were 10 months ago…" replied Genkishi calmly, his arms folded.

"We should just give up and abandon this family…Thanks to the last attack by the Corvino, nearly all of us were wiped out…" said Baishana angrily, his fist clenched.

"You b******d. How can you say something like that?" growled Gamma who had been silent. He glared at Baishana who merely folded his arms.

"Why not? Even the boss agreed. If not, she would not have simply walked out on us a few months ago!" replied Baishana obnoxiously.

"What?" growled Nozaru angrily.

"Baishana! What's the matter with you?"

"I'm right though, aren't I? Let's all just—" said Baishana before Gamma grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the wall. Everyone in the room immediately took a step forward. Genkishi sighed.

"Say that again and I'll barbeque you," snarled Gamma menacingly. Baishana gulped, his eyes wide with fear.

"Gamma! Please! Don't start again!" said Tozaru tiredly.

"Brother!" yelled Nozaru worriedly. The atmosphere became tense. Everyone was armed with a weapon in fear that Gamma would lose his temper like when Aria disappeared.

"Everyone, please calm down," came a voice from the doorway. The men of Giglio Nero turned around to the door. To everyone's surprise, a young girl stood at the doorway, a smile on her face.

"W-Who are you? Are you a spy?" growled Gamma who had already released his hold on Baishana and was facing the girl. His eyes widened as he took in the scene in front of him. The young girl was wearing the Giglio Nero hat and cape, something only the boss was allowed to wear. Everyone else became tense.

"Nice to meet all of you. My name is Uni," introduced the girl as she bowed low and walked into the living room.

"Why are you wearing the boss's costume? And that! Where did you get that pacifier?" asked Gamma as he pointed accusingly at the orange pacifier that hung around Uni's neck. By right, it should have been impossible for her to hold it. After all, the last time Gamma saw this was when Aria played with it the day they rescued Tsuna from his home.

"My mother gave it to me."

"Mother? You mean the boss?" asked Gamma. His hands were shaking. Uni nodded, making the men more confused.

"Impossible! The boss didn't have a daughter! You're lying!" accused Nozaru angrily. His comrades didn't bother stopping him. They too were still confused.

"Uni is Aria's flesh-and-blood daughter. This I can tell you. This means she is to take up Aria's spot as the next boss," said a high squeaky voice from behind Uni. A small baby had entered the scene, his fedora pushed down until it covered his face. On it sat a green colored chameleon that blinked at its surroundings.

"Y-You're…" gaped Tozaru, sweat dripping down his face.

"Uncle Reborn…" greeted Uni politely. Reborn looked up and smiled at her.

"What is an Arcobaleno doing here?" asked Genkishi quietly.

"More importantly, what do you mean when you said she's the boss's only daughter?" asked Gamma in desperation.

"It's just as I said. Uni is Aria's daughter," repeated Reborn with a smirk on his face.

"But that would be impossible! The boss didn't have a daughter!" argued Nozaru again. Reborn sighed.

"Well, she's in front of you, isn't she?"

"Where is the boss?" asked Baishana. Reborn looked at Uni who had a sad smile on her face.

"Mother has passed on to join grandmother…" whispered Uni, her words echoing the room. Everything went silent as the men absorbed the words.

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THIS S**T! WHERE IS YOUR PROOF? WHERE IS THE PROOF THAT YOU ARE THE BOSS'S DAUGTHER? WHERE IS THE PROOF THAT THE BOSS IS D-DEAD?" roared Gamma, breaking the silence.

He turned to Uni who still had a smile plastered on her face. "How can you smile when you know that your mother is dead? WHAT KIND OF A DAUGHTER ARE YOU? I WILL NEVER ACCEPT SOMEONE LIKE YOU AS MY BOSS! GET OUT!" continued the man as he pulled Uni by the arm, her hat falling onto the ground.

"Y-YEAH!"

"I WON'T BELIEVE YOU!"

"HOW DARE YOU MAKE UP STORIES?"

"GET OUT ALREADY!"

A gunshot filled the room, immediately silencing the enraged men. All of them turned to the pissed off Arcobaleno who had his gun pointed at the ceiling, smoke coming out from the tip of the mouth.

"The next time I fire, it'll be to blow off one of your empty heads. Let go of Uni," said Reborn, a dangerous aura surrounding him as he glared at Gamma.

"Don't, Uncle Reborn. It's alright. Mother already predicted something like this happening. She doesn't blame any of them. In fact, she asked me to apologize to them all," said Uni gently even though she was shaking all over.

"I'll still explain it to them. The look on their faces tell me that they are willing to grill you for dinner tonight, Uni," replied Reborn. Uni smiled.

"Listen up. If you want proof, I'll give you all proof. First off, I know Uni is Aria's flesh-and-blood daughter because I myself was there when Aria gave birth 6 years ago. If that isn't enough, I even took a photo of Uni sleeping in Aria's arms," said Reborn as he produced a picture from nowhere and passed it around.

"T-That's boss!" gasped Nozaru, his fingers trembling at the photo in front of him. Aria was holding a small bundle in her arms, her face filled with joy and happiness. She was surrounded by the other Arcobaleno who were doing silly poses.

"Boss…"

"W-What about the info about the boss…." asked Genkishi, his face emotionless.

"Mother gave up her life so that Vongola Primo and his guardian's children could live to see another day. She had been emotionally wounded when she saw the amount of burden they had to go through and decided to do all that was in her will to help them out…Besides, she was already suffering from an illness of her own when she made the decision. Even if she didn't help Sawada-san, she would have passed sooner or later…" said Uni, her eyes faraway.

"B-Boss…" wept Nozaru as he fell to his knees. Tozaru looked grim. The rest of the men were dumbstruck. How could this happen? The memories of all their adventures with Aria were still fresh in their minds.

"But…" whispered Gamma, dazed. He didn't know what to think anymore. His boss, the person he loved most in the world was already gone. What else could he do?

Uni smiled again. "Everyone, please don't be sad. Mother told me to tell all of you her last words," said Uni as the pacifier started glowing. Warm orange light filled the room as everyone stared at her, dazed. Reborn smiled.

"Her message was this : Carry on what all of you were doing and keep Giglio Nero safe. It really was a pleasure working with all of you," said Uni gently.

Gamma blinked. The sight of the orange light was tugging on his memories. He had seen something like this once before. That's right. Aria had lit it once when she brought Tsuna to Maria's house. She had been explaining the duties of the Arcobaleno along the way (something Gamma didn't bother listening to). It was the same. The smile, the light, it really was the same.

"_Boss…so you are here…you've not entirely left us yet…You're—" _

"_Alive." _

Gamma blinked in surprise and looked at Uni. _"You…you can read my thoughts?" _thought Gamma. Uni nodded.

The look of surprise faded from Gamma's face as he finally smiled. He walked over to where Uni stood and went down on one knee, picking the fallen hat as he did.

"Please forgive my rudeness, Princess. From this day onwards, I will put my life on the line to protect you," vowed Gamma politely. His comrades did the same.

"Princess!"

"Please forgive our rudeness!"

"Please lead us!"

"P-Princess!"

"Yes…" replied Uni with a smile on her face.

**6 YEARS LATER**

"Princess! Good morning!"

"It's the princess!"

"Good morning, princess!"

"Let's have breakfast!"

"Good morning, everyone!" greeted Uni cheerfully as she walked down the stairs of the mansion, her usual smile on her face. She was dressed in her normal home clothes and was carrying a small basket of flowers. Over the years, Uni had grown taller but despite that, nothing much had changed.

"Princess! How wash yuor sheep tahst light?" asked Nozaru happily, his mouth full with eggs and bacon.

"Nozaru! Mind your manners!" sighed Tozaru disgustedly as everyone else laughed. Uni herself grinned as she pulled out a chair and sat down, placing the basket of flowers on the table as she did.

"It was quite soothing seeing that it was the first sleep I had in 2 days," replied Uni. Being a boss meant loads and loads of paperwork. Even though Uni was 13 years of age, she took her responsibility seriously.

"You should have enough rest, princess…" sighed Genkishi as he ate his breakfast politely unlike Nozaru.

"But there are loads of paperwork that need to be checked and signed…"

"Just throw them all away."

"Genkishi, you know very well that we could start a war if we do that…"

"It was only an idea…" said Genkishi with an air of innocence around him. Uni giggled.

"Where's Gamma?"

"He said something about being in the outdoors for a moment," said Tozaru before sipping a cup of coffee.

**IN THE GARDEN**

Gamma was sitting on the green grass, book in hand and deep in thought. He was oblivious to his surroundings as he thought about the day's activities and only realized that there was someone behind him when something soft fitted on his head.

With a smile, Gamma closed his book and turned around.

"Something like this would only suit you, Princess," said Gamma as he reached up to remove the flower garland Uni had just placed on him. Uni giggled and smiled.

"No, I think it suits Gamma as well! Anyway, come on in for breakfast! Everyone already started!" said Uni happily.

She waved before running back into the house. Gamma smiled as he watched her figure disappear. Getting up slowly, he started to make his way back into the house.

When he reached the kitchen, he was surprised to see the tensed atmosphere. Everyone was crowding around Uni.

"What's wrong?" asked Gamma worriedly, pushing his way through the crowd. Uni was reading a letter, her face a mixture of shock and sadness.

"So it has to happen…" whispered Uni to herself.

"Princess?"

Uni looked up from the letter and smiled at her subordinates.

"Everyone, an old acquaintance of mine is coming over to visit tomorrow. His name, is Byakuran."

**THE NEXT DAY**

A sleek black car pulled up on the driveway of the Giglio Nero mansion. After coming to a halt at the main entrance where a crowd of men dressed in black tuxedo's were standing with grim looking faces, the door opened and a young man stepped out.

This man had white spiky hair that sprawled messily. He had a tattoo beneath his left eye and was dressed in casual clothing.

"Wow…I didn't know Uni-chan stayed in a house like this. Amazing…" said Byakuran with an impressed look on his face as he examined the mansion with a smile on his face. The men of Giglio Nero tensed. This man looked really suspicious.

"Byakuran-san? Princess Uni is waiting for you inside…" said the butler with utmost politeness in his voice.

"Ohh? Are all of you her bodyguards or something?" asked Byakuran in an easy-going tone. The men nodded as they walked cautiously behind him. Byakuran whistled and continued examining the contents of the house.

Upon arriving the study, the butler knocked on the door and announced the arrival of Byakuran.

"Uni-chan, you've been holding out on me. Why didn't you tell me you were the boss of a Mafia family as well as the Arcobaleno boss?" asked Byakuran with a hurt look on his face as he pointed at the pacifier that hung around her neck. Uni giggled.

"Sorry, Byakuran. It completely slipped my mind. It's good to see you again!" said Uni happily. It was always good to see old friends.

"Completely slipped your mind? Okay I'll accept that reason! You've grown taller, Uni-chan. The last time I saw you, you were only as tall as my legs!" laughed Byakuran, his finger indicating to the height of his legs.

It went to say that even though Byakuran was only 19 years old, he was actually taller than most men.

"Well anyway, Uni-chan! I'm glad to see you again!" cheered Byakuran before engulfing Uni into a tight hug.

Gamma growled softly in annoyance and tapped the nearby table.

"Hm? Who's that?" asked Byakuran with a smile on his face.

"This is Gamma, my most trusted bodyguard. Gamma, this is Byakuran, my old friend," said Uni with a smile on her face. Gamma nodded his head in greeting, his eyes wary.

"Yo, Gamma-chan! Let's be good friends!" laughed Byakuran jokingly as he threw an arm around Gamma's shoulder. Gamma, who had been too busy controlling his annoyance failed to see Byakuran eye his Mare ring.

"What brings you here today, Byakuran?" asked Uni unexpectedly. She was still smiling but her eyes had become serious.

Byakuran grinned. "Sharp as always, Uni-chan! There was a reason why I dropped by Giglio Nero today. I need to talk to you about something but before that…" said Byakuran, his eyes flickering at Gamma and some of the men stationed in the room and at the door.

"Gamma, everyone, could you please let the both of us talk in private for a while?" asked Uni as she looked at her subordinates.

"But princess…what if…"started Gamma worriedly. He still did not trust that Byakuran person at all. Everything about him screamed suspicious.

"It'll be alright. Nothing will happen to me," said Uni with a comforting smile. Gamma looked at her, sighed and nodded. A few seconds later, the doors slammed shut behind them.

"I wonder what they're talking about…" muttered Tozaru with a frown as they waited patiently outside.

"Who knows. Maybe they're catching up with their past…" replied Genkishi, his face expressionless.

"I sure hope they're talking about the past and nothing else…" said Gamma worriedly.

"Still, the princess sure is an amazing person. She has been with us for 6 years now, even though it's nowhere as long as her predecessor…" said an old man with white hair.

"It truly has been a blessing to be able to see her grow…"

"The princess is the only reason the family Is still together, is it not? I feel like I'm looking at the boss when I look at her…They have the same warmth when they smile…" said Nozaru. The men nodded.

Genkishi snorted, his arms crossed. "Come on guys. Don't be foolish. That girl still has a long way more to go before she reaches the boss's level…"

"Genkishi is just jealous that the princess spends more time with Gamma than she does with him," joked Nigella, causing the men to snicker. A vein twitched in Genkishi's head.

"Genkishi is right. The princess still needs time to grow before she can be on par with the boss," said Gamma with a sigh.

'_Besides, even though 6 years have gone by, I still mourn for her mother…'_

The door slammed open, causing the men to stop gossiping.

"Uni-chan, I can see that no matter what I say, you still stay firm with your belief," came Byakuran's voice as he walked out of the room, his hands in the pocket. Even though he had a smile on his face, an air of anger surrounded him.

"I'm sorry, Byakuran. I cannot agree with your method at all. There are other ways to achieve it," said Uni firmly, her eyes sad.

" There is nothing more I can say to you, Uni-chan. Sooner or later, you will regret not joining me…" growled Byakuran. He marched past the men of Giglio Nero, his eyes scanning them before reaching the main entrance.

"This will most certainly not be the last time you'll see me, Uni-chan. I will be back and when I do, Giglio Nero will fall," said Byakuran with a sadistic smile on his face before waving and entering his car.

"Princess! Are you alright?" asked Gamma worriedly as he rushed over to Uni who was still at her spot. Uni nodded.

"What happened?" asked Tozaru. He had a feeling in his gut that something bad was about to happen.

"Byakuran is going to do something destructive in the future…" said Uni grimly.

"W-What? Him?" growled Tozaru.

"Then we should kill him off now!" said Nigella, his eyes eyeing the entrance of the mansion and back again.

"Yes! Let's go after him now!" yelled Gamma hastily. The men grumbled in agreement and made a move for the door.

"Wait! You can't kill him off now!"

"W-What? Why not?" demanded the men.

"Because Byakuran will just ways to heal himself or protect himself. I've known Byakuran for a long time and I can tell you this; he is a man worth fearing and no one but me but will be able to stop him," replied Uni. She looked around and smiled.

"Princess…"

"It's alright. I've already come up with a plan that will ensure a safe future for all of you. Don't worry!" said Uni, her voice soothing. With a short bow, she turned and walked up the stairs, her subordinates watching her with worried eyes.

**A FEW WEEKS LATER**

"Where is the doctor? Get here quick! Genkishi is ill! His face is turning blue!" yelled a man as he examined his fallen comrade who lay unconscious on the couch.

"Everyone! Please leave the room! I have to perform an immediate check up on him! Please leave us alone!" yelled the doctor, his face grim and serious. He opened his bag and pulled out several medical instruments.

"What happened? Genkishi hardly gets ill!" growled Gamma as he and his comrades waited outside the room. Even though they hardly got along well, Genkishi was still a part of their family.

"What's going on?" came a voice. Everyone turned to the door only to see Uni, her face filled with concern. She had just returned from one of her outings.

"Princess. It's Genkishi. He just fell ill like that. The doctor is currently examining him," said Nozaru worriedly. Uni's eyes widened with horror. At that moment, the door slammed open and the doctor walked out, his face grim.

"How is he? How is Genkishi?" asked Gamma urgently.

"He needs to be sent to the hospital as soon as possible. I've never seen an illness like this before. The virus is eating him from the inside. There wasn't much I could do…" said the doctor.

"D**n it! Celso! Get the car! We're going to send Genkishi to the hospital even if it kills us!" barked Gamma as he pulled on his coat. His comrades were in the process of placing Genkishi on a stretcher.

"Genkishi!" cried Uni, tears cascading down her cheek as she placed a hand on Genkishi's hand.

"We'll bring him back, Princess! Don't you worry!" called Gamma. Uni nodded and watched as her subordinates got into the car and drove off.

**MONTHS LATER**

"He'll be fine. The doctors just called and told me that Genkishi will live. It was a miracle they said. He started healing rapidly even though they predicted he would die within a week," announced Gamma with relief on his face. The room burst into applause as Giglio Nero clapped and cheered. Their comrade was going to be fine.

Uni smiled gratefully. It had nearly been 6 months since Genkishi was admitted into the hospital and every time they visited him, he looked even worst. It seemed like luck had decided to help them this time.

"That's good. I'm glad Genkishi is getting better. Well, see you all tomorrow, everyone. Goodnight!" greeted Uni before waving and retreating up the stairs to her room.

"The princess has been going out a lot nowadays hasn't she?" asked Nozaru.

"Yes. The last time I asked, she told me that she was meeting up with 4 of her friends to plan for something…" said one of the men.

"I don't know why but I suddenly have this nagging feeling in me that the princess will disappear…just like the boss…" said Tozaru grimly.

"Ah…I once had that thought. After all, it was the same with the first boss, Luche-sama," said an old man.

"What happened to her?"

"Luche-sama suddenly passed away in her late 30's. I found her lying peacefully on her bed one morning. Her hands were folded neatly, as though she had already known she was going to die…It was truly a sad day for Giglio Nero…" said the man sadly.

" Don't sprout such nonsense! I will never allow the princess to go the same route her mother took…" vowed Gamma. "I'm going to bed. See you in the morning…" continued Gamma before walking up the stairs.

Gamma sighed. Not that he wanted to think much about it but Tozaru was right. Deep down, he too had a feeling that Uni was going to disappear one day. This feeling had turned into his biggest fear.

As he walked along the corridors of the second floor, Gamma passed Uni's room and paused for a moment. Raising his hand to knock on the door, he heard sounds of someone crying. Filled with worry and concern, Gamma placed his ear on the door and was surprised to hear soft sobs coming from inside the room.

"Princess?" called Gamma as he knocked on the door. Hasty footsteps were heard and a few seconds later, Uni opened the door, her tears wiped away and a smile plastered on her face.

"Gamma! Did something happen?" asked the Giglio Nero boss in alarm. Gamma frowned.

"Princess, you've been crying haven't you?" asked Gamma firmly. Uni blinked in surprise.

"N-No I haven't."

"There's no point lying to me. Your sleeve is wet," said Gamma, his hand pointing at her sleeve.

How nostalgic. Memories from a conversation like this years ago flashed into his mind. They truly were mother and daughter.

"What's the matter, princess? Is it Byakuran? Or did you see something?" asked Gamma again.

Uni was silent for a moment before smiling once again. "No…It was nothing of the sort. I was just thinking of something…There's nothing to be worried about," replied Uni.

Gamma arched an eyebrow but said nothing. "Is that so? In that case, goodnight, Princess," wished Gamma politely as he turned to leave. Much to his surprise, however, Uni tugged on his sleeve and by instinct, Gamma turned around and bent down.

"Gamma, am I someone who would do things recklessly?" asked Uni, her eyes boring into his. Gamma shook his head in confusion while she smiled. Moving a step forward, she surprised him even more by hugging him by the neck.

"Thank you, Gamma. This will be the last time we meet," whispered Uni. Gamma frowned. A wave of déjà vu hit him. Where had he heard this sentence before?

Before his brain could process it any further, Uni continued. "I love you. Just like my mother did 6 years ago…" whispered Uni, her face turning red. Releasing her hug, she bowed once and went back into her room, leaving Gamma stunned on the floor.

"That little girl…" mused the man before getting up and walking back into his room. Something tugged on his memory but he brushed it aside.

That was the last time Gamma or anyone in Giglio Nero ever saw Uni again and the next day, Sawada Tsunayoshi was murdered by Byakuran.

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**

"What the…?" muttered Gamma to himself. He had heard the explosion but had not felt the impact. Opening his eyes, he saw nothing but smoke. With the help of Colulu and Widget, Gamma jumped out of the hole and landed on the floor.

"Thanks for your help back there. You did save me…" said Gamma grudgingly to the young boy beside him who had jumped out of his safety and destroyed the missiles created by Genkishi.

"Heh! What an idiot…" muttered Hayato with a smirk. Gamma growled.

"Vongola Primo's right hand man's son, Gokudera Hayato. It seems like you've finally decided to join in the fight along with Gamma," said Genkishi boredly.

"And I'm here to bring the likes of you down," growled Hayato menacingly, his green eyes glaring daggers at Genkishi.

**Done for Part 1. I'm so sorry for not being able to complete the fight. This chapter was already too long. Well, for the next chapter, I'm going to complete the fight against Genkishi and maybe or maybe not end the invasion in the base. **

**Ahem, and so I've decided to reveal the mystery person of last week's chapter. The identity of this person is not Tsuna (sorry guys) but Basil. Dear Phantom Hitman 1412, you were this close to guessing the identity of the person. : )**

**Alright, alright. Since there are so many of you asking whether Tsuna will live or not, I've decided. If you want to know, just give me your name and I'll PM you or if you are willing to wait for the rest of the chapters, then don't give me your name. :D**

**Please review like always! I really, really do appreciate all of them! **

**Until then, ciao ciao!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU! I'm back! My term exams are finally over after 3 long torturous weeks! Thank you all for wishing me good luck before the exams!:DDDDD **

**Moving on, the story has finally reached its 300****th**** review! Once again, I'd like to say THANK YOU too all you awesome readers! I love every single one of you! :D Once I get an idea, I may write an omake!**

**Dear CrazyGirl13, answering your question: Tsuna, Hayato, Takeshi, Enma, Shoichi and Spanner are 15, Kyoya, Ryohei, Chrome and Mukuro are 16 and a half, Lambo is 13 and Uni is 14. I hope that answers your question. **

**P.S If I missed any of you guys out for whether Tsuna will live or not, please let me know and I'll PM you! And regarding all the questions such as why Reborn is an adult, please be patient as everything will be revealed in due time. :D**

**Warning: This is going to be a long chapter.**

**Here's Chapter 19!**

Chapter 19: The Phantom Knight

"_What's your name?"_

"_G-Genkishi…I guess…I-I don't really know…"_

"_Where are your parents?"_

"_They're….They're….dead…"_

"_You poor child! Come Genkishi, would you like to follow me back to Giglio Nero so that I can treat those wounds of yours? You can even stay with us if you want."_

_Genkishi stared at the woman with wide, surprised eyes. She smiled back at him, her arm outstretched. Genkishi had first thought she was a weird woman for walking around in such a weird costume in broad daylight. What more, she was followed by several men who were now keeping an eye on the perimeter. Without hesitation, the boy held out his trembling hand and took a hold of the warm hand. The woman grinned and pulled him up to his feet. _

"_C-Can I really s-stay with you?" asked Genkishi in disbelief. The woman giggled and nodded her head kindly. _

"_As I said Genkishi. You can stay with us as long as you want. I wouldn't mind," replied the woman cheerfully. _

"_I-I…"started the boy but was cut off by the woman who was now shaking her head disapprovingly. "Now let's get those wounds tended to!" said the woman as she turned to one of her men who came running to her. After a few words, the man nodded and motioned for the boy to follow him. _

_As Genkishi followed the man obediently, he turned around and asked "W-What is y-your name?"_

_The woman widened her smile and said "Luche. My name is Luche. Welcome to Giglio Nero, Genkishi…"_

**BACK TO THE PRESENT (VONGOLA BASE)**

"AHHHH! NOT AGAIN!" yelled Giannini in a panicked tone as he slid his chair back, his eyes eyeing the screen in fear. His little outburst made everyone in the room jump or in Dino's case, trip on his own two feet in alarm.

"W-What's wrong, Giannini-san?" yelled Shoichi in a panicked tone, his eyes looking for the source of Giannini's outburst. All eyes were on the mechanic who was now pointing a slightly shaking finger at the screen.

"H-H-He's requesting a c-call with us a-again!" stammered Giannini with wide eyes.

"Who is?"

"B-Byakuran!"

The sound of chairs being pushed back and hasty footsteps racing up towards the mechanic filled the room and soon, almost everyone had crowded around him.

"What does that b******d want this time?" growled Daemon angrily. Lampo whimpered to himself. Shoichi and Spanner exchanged a quick glance with one another before turning back to the screen.

"Put him on," ordered Alaude coldly. Giannini nodded and pressed the keyboard.

"Good morning fellow Vongolians!" cheered Byakuran's voice as his face appeared on the large screen. He was smiling rather cheerfully and held a bag of marshmallows in his arms. He appeared to be standing in one of the Milliefiore corridors. How he actually managed to make a video call there was a real mystery to them.

"Byakuran…" growled Daemon, his eyes dark. Alaude glared at the cheerful teen in front of him coldly. Lampo gulped but held his ground. Dino and the Shimon children stared at the man with dislike in their eyes.

"Byakuran-san…" muttered Shoichi. Byakuran looked at him and waved merrily.

"Yes, yes. That is my name!" replied Byakuran with a grin as he stuffed a handful of marshmallows into his mouth and chewed slowly.

"What do you want, herbivore?" growled Alaude menacingly. Byakuran shook his head in a disapproving manner.

"Now, now, Alaude-chan. That's no way to talk to someone who holds the lives of your family members in his hands you know. I could just destroy all of them…in a snap," taunted Byakuran with his hand outstretched to demonstrate. Alaude and Daemon growled at the man, their bloods boiling.

"Hahaha…anyway, the main reason I called was because I wanted to invite Dae-chan, Alau-chan and Lampo-chan to my humble base," continued the Milliefiore boss cheerfully. Alaude and Daemon arched an eyebrow and frowned at the Milliefiore boss in surprise. Lampo almost choked on his saliva.

"W-What?" yelped Shoichi in disbelief as he blinked at Byakuran who was stuffing his face with another round of marshmallows.

"I don't understand…"

"W-Why?"

"To complete the Vongola rings of course! After all, the Sky, Storm, Rain and Sun rings are already in my base. I just thought It would be much easier to collect all 7 rings at the same time!" said Byakuran in an easy-going tone. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"What makes you think we'll do as you say?" snarled Daemon angrily. Byakuran chuckled.

"I didn't come unprepared, Dae-chan. Did you forget? The lives of your daughter and your son are in my hands at the moment. The same goes to Alau-chan and Lampo-chan. I'm sure Alau-chan and Lampo-chan would not want to lose their son's especially after finding out the truth…" said Byakuran, his eyes slightly opened, revealing an evil glint in his eyes.

"You scumbag…" growled Dino in anger.

"How terrible!"

"Unbelievable! You're using Kyoya, Chrome, Lambo and Mukuro as bait?"

"I'm going to kill you!" snarled Daemon furiously, his hands gripping his trident tightly. Alaude's eyes became colder. Lampo blinked.

"Wonderful! So you all see the situation here! Oh by the way, Dae-chan and Alau-chan! Mukuro and Kyoya are going to walk into my way in let me see…15 minutes. I wonder what would happen if we fought…" grinned Byakuran evily as he tossed the marshmallow bag behind him and stuffed his hands into his pocket.

Alaude and Daemon widened their eyes. This was going from bad to worst. No matter how good Kyoya and Mukuro were in combat, they all knew the both of them had no chance in victory. Heck, they would lucky to even walk out of there alive.

No wonder this man was standing lazily in the corridor.

"15 minutes, everyone! Dae-chan, Alau-chan, Lampo-chan, 15 minutes. See you soon!" chuckled Byakuran before the screen went blank.

"Are you all seriously going?" asked Bianchi seriously. Alaude, Daemon and Lampo stood up and equipped themselves with communication devices and weapons. All three of them nodded in silence.

"It could be a trap you know…" stated Julie smartly. Everyone looked at him and sighed despite their situation.

"Thanks for the helpful info, Julie. It was really helpful in the end," growled Koyo impatiently as Adelheid raised her metal fans threateningly. Julie grinned sheepishly.

"Nufufu…we'll be back, don't worry…" said Daemon eerily before grabbing a now shaking Lampo by the collar and dragging him towards the door with Alaude close behind. The door slammed behind the three men.

"I sure hope they all do…" muttered Shoichi tiredly as he clutched his stomach and rummaged his hair in distress.

**BACK IN THE BASE (MILLIEFIORE)**

"Now brat. You stay out of the way like I said and leave this man to me," growled Gamma. Hayato glared at the man.

"No way. Why don't you stay back and leave him to me eh?" replied Hayato stubbornly. A vein twitched in Gamma's head.

"Look, I'm just trying to tell you that this is no place for a kid like you. Besides, I can take this guy down by myself!"

"Yeah and the last time you tried taking him down by himself, it didn't go so well now did it? And I'm not a kid anymore! I'm 15!"

"15 is still a kid darn it!"

"Shut up!"

Genkishi sighed at the scene beneath him. It seemed like the two of them had completely forgotten the real enemy and were too busy bickering with one another. With a shake of his head, Genkishi took out his box weapon and aimed it at the duo.

Upon release, the mist coated slugs transformed into missiles and flew straight for Gamma and Hayato.

"Oh crap…" muttered Gamma as he held up his weapon. A loud explosion filled the room followed by the smoke. Genkishi who was hanging upside down from the ceiling watched emotionlessly.

The smoke cleared up, revealing what looked like circular objects. Genkishi watched curiously. What on earth was that?

"System C.A.I. You caught me by surprise back there…" muttered Hayato coolly. Floating protectively in front of him was a circular shaped barrier surrounded by Storm flames. On a closer look, it was seen that the shield was made up of small bone-shaped parts that formed a circular loop.

"A shield hm…This makes sense. I guess I'm not surprised…" muttered Genkishi boredly. Hayato snorted and raised his weapon.

"Then get ready to be bombarded with surprises…" growled the boy determinedly. Placing a hand on his weapon, Hayato fired Storm flames at the illusionist who jumped from the ceiling in the nick of time and fired the missiles again. The missiles came in contact with the shield and exploded in mid-air.

As he was paying too much attention on Hayato, Genkishi had temporarily forgotten about Gamma who was now floating behind him, cue at the ready. The cue then came in contact with the lightning coated billiard balls and flew straight for Genkishi.

With fast hand movements, the illusionist whipped out his sword and sliced the balls with great accuracy.

"I'm not done yet!" yelled Gamma, his eyes determined. Igniting his fake Mare ring, lightning surrounded him, increasing the flames around Colulu and Widget at the same time. With a loud yell, both Gamma and Genkishi clashed, creating an even louder explosion than before. The force of the collision managed to push Hayato back by an inch.

"A-Are they d-dead?" muttered Hayato to himself as he peered through his System C.A.I. All he saw was smoke and more smoke.

The smoke cleared and Hayato watched with wide eyes, his weapon at the ready. The sound of weapons clashing with one another filled his ears. Looking up, he saw Gamma and Genkishi still in the midst of battle, Genkishi with two swords while Gamma with his cue and billiard balls. Both men had burnt marks all over their hands and face.

"I'm surprised, Gamma. You actually managed to get on par with me," stated Genkishi boredly. Gamma growled and fired another round, only to have Genkishi dodge agilely and slice the ball at the same time.

"Why did you betray Giglio Nero? The boss and the princess trusted you!" yelled Gamma angrily as he fired again.

"It was for the greater good. Byakuran-sama is the savior of the new world and I will make sure he achieves it," replied Genkishi boredly as he charged straight for Gamma.

"Tch! That man is nothing but a ruthless killer!" snarled Gamma with hatred in his eyes. "The princess cared so much for you. She even shed tears when you were taken away to the hospital!"

"I appreciate her tears but Byakuran-sama cares for me more than the princess ever did. He is the savior of this wretched world," repeated Genkishi as he brought down his sword.

Gamma growled angrily and blocked the attack, lightning and mist flames mixing together.

"Give it up Gamma and let me kill you…" said Genkishi boredly.

"As if I'd let you! NOW!" yelled Gamma unexpectedly. Genkishi looked up only to see what looked like Storm flames that were surrounded by cackling lightning coming towards him. Abandoning Gamma, he lifted his sword to block but was thrown backwards and into the wall.

"Colulu, Widget! Finish him off!" yelled Gamma as the two foxes nodded and released large volts of electricity at the spot where Genkishi crashed into.

"Thanks for giving me enough time, Lightning Gamma," said Hayato with a pant. Gamma stood up and dusted his shirt.

"Took you long enough…Now let's-" said Gamma when suddenly, something exploded, throwing him back.

"G-GAMMA!"

A figure jumped down from the ceiling and landed gently on the floor.

"I underestimated the both of you a little just now. Great decoy plan…" said Genkishi boredly. He seemed unscathed.

"I-Impossible. You should be…." gasped Hayato before remembering that his opponent was an illusionist. Gamma clutched his now bleeding arm and cussed.

"I guess it's about time I got really serious with the both of you…" said Genkishi boredly. Pulling out all four of his swords, Genkishi agilely leapt onto the hilt of two of his swords and held the other two in his hands. "Mystic Arte: Four Swords. Let's begin."

Gamma and Hayato got into position. Despite having an injured arm, Gamma managed to hold up his weapon and ignite his ring at the same time.

With amazing speed, the swordsman disappeared and reappeared in front of Gamma who lifted his cue in time and blocked the attack. Genkishi then jumped up kicked with his both legs, pushing Gamma back. When that wasn't enough, he then brought his swords forward to go in for the kill.

"Colulu! Widget!" yelled Gamma. The two foxes appeared and stood protectively in front of their master. As Genkishi got closer, they released lightning flames, forcing the swordsman to move back. However, in a split second, Genkishi had managed to find a weakness and in a blink of an eye, had gotten past the two foxes.

"This is goodbye, Gamma," said Genkishi in a dead tone as he slashed.

"GAMMA!" yelled Hayato as he watched the man get thrown back.

"It's your turn now, kid," said Genkishi from above. He jumped back to the ground, swords in position. Hayato growled and at the very last minute, disappeared, much to the swordsman's surprise.

"Eat this!" yelled Hayato's voice. Genkishi looked up to see the young boy on what looked like a storm coated disc and what looked like a mixture of Storm and Sun flames coming at him at a high speed.

'_These are…Sun flames? Impossible, this boy is a Storm flame attribute. Now that I think of it, how was it possible that he managed to release a Lightning attack just now?' _thought the swordsman as he held out his now Mist-coated sword to defend himself from the attack. He eyed Hayato who was refilling his weapon and examined the boy. After a few seconds of observation, he finally got his answer.

"I see…Those rings…they're the source of the different types of flames…So it seems like you have some other flame attributes as well, hm?" stated Genkishi in a bored voice.

"You finally realize huh? That's right…Along with my Strom flames, I too posses Sun and Lightning flame attributes but they're not as strong as my storm flames. I discovered this ability when that Arcobaleno Reborn trained me a few years back. Of course, I never really understood what this meant till a few weeks ago when I discovered a new System C.A.I," replied Hayato, his hand indicating to the boxes surrounding his waist.

"Is that so? I admit this is the first time hearing something like this but even so, having numerous flames isn't enough to take me down," replied Genkishi boredly, his swords at the ready.

Hayato growled and did the same. "Tch! We'll see!"

"Let's go," repeated Genkishi as he charged forward agilely. Hayato whipped up his weapon and fired, his bone loops surrounding him protectively. Genkishi managed to dodge the numerous shots and swung his sword, the mist flame coated metal coming in contact with the shield and actually succeeding in slipping through the think cracks. Hayato cussed and jumped back hurriedly, narrowly dodging the swordsman's swing.

"Wow. I'm impressed. No one but Byakuran-sama has been able to dodge such an attack before…Where did you learn such a movement?" mused Genkishi, his eyes showing a hint of amusement.

"Heh! Instinct!" replied the young boy. This was not true however. It was because of his Uncle Squalo and Alaude that he managed to perform such amazing dodging abilities. He promised himself to never curse the both of them ever again for ruthless combat training. (Squalo would train the kids from morning to midnight while Alaude would make them go through his combat field which was rigged with different types of deadly traps that would trigger at slight movement.)

"Alright then, let's move up one level…" said the illusionist before disappearing. Hayato positioned and surrounded himself with his bone loops, his eyes scanning the perimeter.

'_There!' _thought Hayato before jumping and firing another cartridge to his left, this time releasing Storm and Rain flames.

A figure jumped out from the smoke screen and landed on the floor, his eyes serious. _'A Rain attribute as well? No, that's not the main problem here. How could he have known I was there?' _thought Genkishi with a frown on his face. '_It doesn't matter…I will solve this…'_

Genkishi waved his hand and was soon surrounded by slugs. With another wave of his hand, they transformed into missiles.

"The same old trick again, eh?" growled Hayato, his weapon raised. Genkishi shook his head in a bored manner.

"You've may have forgotten that you have a comrade here who has been knocked out long since but I haven't…" said Genkishi boredly. He snapped his fingers and the missiles flew towards both he and Gamma who was on the other side of the room in all directions. Hayato cussed upon realizing the situation.

A third explosion sounded making it by far the loudest one that managed to rock the base.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE BASE**

"A-Apparently, this is a very e-earthquake prone place," gulped Giotto as the floor shook below them.

"Erm…Giotto? I don't think that was another earthquake…" muttered Cozart as he bit his lip.

"I was trying to be optimistic okay…" Giotto replied, his head spinning. His Hyper Intuition had gone haywire and his brain was screaming 'DANGER AHEAD! SOMETHING BAD IS HAPPENING AND IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!' It was nearly driving him insane.

"P-PRIMO! EMERGENCY REPORT!" yelled Giannini's frantic voice from the earpiece.

"WHAT?" yelled Giotto back in surprise before clamping his mouth with his hands.

"A-Alaude-san-D-Daemon-san-Lampo-san! They're-to the base! Kyoya-Muku-Danger!" yelled Giannini before the communication died down. Something was blocking their signal.

"G-Giannini?Hello?" yelled Giotto in a panicked tone only to get a buzzing sound in his ear.

"What was it, Giotto?" asked Cozart in alarm. Giotto shook his head.

"I couldn't make up his words but it seems like my guardians are coming over and Kyoya and Mukuro are in trouble," muttered Giotto, his fist clenched. Cozart's eyes became dark.

"We should help them out! Come on!" said Cozart seriously. Giotto shook his head.

"No. First off, we don't know which way it is and we can't ask Shoichi seeing that our device is out. Secondly, Shoichi asked us specifically to help Hayato and Gamma out. We have to move!" said Giotto in his boss-like tone.

Cozart was silent for a moment before nodding his head. "I guess you're right. What do you think-?" started the man as he turned around to look at their other companion for his opinion.

The only problem was, the man had disappeared.

**BACK TO HAYATO**

"How noble of you…You chose to save my ex-comrade and sent three of your bone loops to shield him, leaving you with only one…" said Genkishi with a bored look on his face. Hayato panted and clutched his left arm which was bleeding badly. One of his eyes was hurt but not bad enough to make him go blind. The shield in front of him had managed to protect him from most of the damage but he was still injured nonetheless.

"S-Shut up! I can still fight!" growled Hayato as he staggered forward.

"It's all over for you…I finally discovered your little secret…the one that allowed you to see through my illusion…" said Genkishi, sword in hand. "It's your contact lens. Yes, even though it may not have allowed you to see through my illusion completely, you could sense the heat being radiated from my body. I'd expect nothing less from Talbot but that can be easily tended to…" said Genkishi boredly.

Hayato cussed and ignited his Storm ring. He then held out his weapon and fired a large amount of Storm flames at the illusionist who jumped out of the way and disappeared. In a flash, he reappeared behind Hayato who blocked in the nick of time and skidded back. He was panting heavily from fatigue and due to his injuries.

"Look at you. You can't even stand properly. It's time for you to go," said Genkishi in his monotone voice.

"Tch! I still have one last move left! Uri come!" yelled Hayato. His ring shone and a few seconds later, Uri appeared, licking his paws as he did.

"A cat? What can he do?" asked Genkishi boredly.

"Wait and see! Uri is part of my System C.A.I after all," said Hayato. _'Heck, I have no idea what I'm doing…Even though Uri is a part of my System C.A.I, I don't really know what he does besides claw me to death…I guess all he can do is buy me time until I charge my last cartridge…' _thought Hayato with a few sweat drops running down his head.

"Oh? Then let's see what he can do," said the illusionist, his swords in hand.

Uri took a look at Genkishi and snarled menacingly before running back to Hayato and jumping on top of his head.

"U-Uri! A-Attack him! Not me!" yelled Hayato in an annoyed tone as the cat started clawing him. This was why he hated animals. Uri hissed and pawed his owner.

Genkishi watched the scene with bored eyes and lowered his sword. "It looks like your last hope has been shattered by this sad creature. How disappointing. You would have been a good opponent but in the end, you're just a kid…" said the illusionist coldly. Hayato gritted his teeth. "Goodbye," said Genkishi as he opened his box weapon.

A large flash of green filled the room and Colulu and Widget jumped out in front of Hayato. The two foxes then started releasing large volts of lightning flames, creating a kind of shield in front of the boy.

"W-Wha-" started Hayato as he covered his eyes. The slugs dropped onto the floor, unmoving. The Nero Volpi then turned towards Hayato and nodded their heads as though in thanks before finally going back into their box which was still beside Gamma

'_Was it to thank me for protecting their master just now?' _thought Hayato before grinning in appreciation. "Oi Uri! Why can't you be like them eh you useless cat?" barked Hayato as he glared at his animal who merely snarled in reply.

"How considerate you people are…well, it won't happen again," said Genkishi, his swords raised. This was going to be his last attack.

Hayato stood up with sheer willpower and loaded his weapon. "I still can bring the likes of you down!" growled the young teen as he injected his ring into one of the boxes and summoned his Storm disc. Jumping on, Hayato steadied himself and took aim.

"Take that again!" roared the teen. The Storm flames slammed into their target who held his sword up.

"The same trick won't work on me twice, boy," said Genkishi boredly. Hayato snorted and loaded the now charged cartridge into his weapon.

"Who said I would be using the same trick twice eh? Eat this and die already!" yelled Hayato. With the Strom flame flickering steadily on his ring, Hayato fired.

"What a one trick phony. Do you really think—" started Genkishi but stopped mid-air. Much to his surprise, the Storm flames started branching out, making it nearly impossible to avoid. Genkishi cussed as he was struck by the flame.

"Did I mention that I was also a Cloud flame attribute? I guess no…" said Hayato with a grin on his face. It was thanks to Shoichi that he had managed to create such a technique. Of course, some credit also went to the mysterious flames that possessed their own special function.

Hayato landed his Storm disc carelessly and fell to the ground, tired. His bone loops and weapons went straight back into their boxes while Uri pawed her owner playfully.

"S-Stop it, Uri! What's wrong with you!" growled Hayato. He clutched his arm and winced.

Out of the blue, Uri snarled menacingly, his fur standing on his back.

"U-Uri?" muttered Hayato, his eyes half opened. Uri snarled again and motioned for his owner to move by biting Hayato's ear in fear. "W-What is it?" asked the teen as he looked around. The smoke cleared and a few seconds later, he received his answer.

"To think I had to resort to this…Congratulations, brat. You're the first in 10 years to see Nebbia Numero Due. Unfortunately, it would mean that you would also be the last to experience it's pain," said Genkishi as he emerged from the smoke. Instead of his normal armory, he was now dressed in what looked like a really thick grey armor that reminded Hayato of the medieval times. His helmet had two horns sticking out from both sides. Genkishi held out his hand and a sword formed together from the slugs.

"Goodbye, brat."

Hayato cussed. He knew there was no way he was going to survive another round with this guy. The most he could hope for was a miracle. Uri snarled and hissed at Genkishi.

"Uri, get out of the way!" yelled Hayato. No matter how much he hated this cat, it would still be a terrible sight to see him die in front of him. However, Uri stood protectively in front of his master and snarled.

"I guess the master and his pet can die together," said Genkishi in his usual monotone voice as he closed his eyes and brought down his sword.

"Uri!" roared Hayato and he forced his body forward, shielding the animal from the incoming blow.

Numerous gunshots flew from across the room and whizzed past the swordsman, causing Genkishi to stop whatever he was doing and jump back in alarm. Hayato looked up and looked for his savior.

"You'd better step away from my son or I swear, the next bullet won't miss," came G's growling voice from the doorway.

"Dad…" muttered Hayato in relief before giving in to his pain and passing out. Uri meowed and pawed him. G crossed the room and ran towards his son, his face alarmed. The sight of his wounds made G's blood boil. Oh, heads were going to roll today.

"Don't worry, Hayato. I'll get you out of this soon…" muttered G as he tore off a piece of cloth and tied it around his son's wound.

"Vongola Primo's Storm Guardian, G. I see the authentic Vongola Storm ring on your finger."

"What about it, b******d?"

"For the sake of Byakuran's perfect world, I will retrieve it by all means," swore Genkishi, his sword raised, eyes determined.

"And for the sake of getting my son and everyone else out of this wretched place, I too will bring you down!" vowed the Storm guardian as he pulled out the Vongola box weapon Talbot had given him earlier. Igniting his Storm ring, G glared at his opponent with eyes strong enough to bring down an elephant.

It was about time the first generation kicked some butt.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"WE EXTREMELY FOUND THEM! QUICK MY DEAR NEPHEW! GET THE SCALPEL OUT AND START HEALING!" roared Knuckle as he bent down and ignited his scalpel with Sun flames and started his healing process. Chrome who had been having a hard time breathing relaxed as soon as the Sun flames touched her skin.

"I UNDERSTAND TO THE EXTREME, UNCLE!" roared Ryohei back. He whipped out his own scalpel and hurriedly placed it on Lal's wounds. The wound quickly healed, leaving nothing but a small scar behind. "This is bad, uncle! Her wounds are extremely deep!" yelled Ryohei, sweat dripping down his face. Knuckle frowned.

"Switch with me, Ryohei! I'll heal Lal and you heal Chrome!" barked Knuckle. Ryohei nodded and did as he was told. Knuckle frowned. It was true, the wounds Lal had were very, very deep and immediate treatment in the base was needed. For the time being, Knuckle managed to stop the bleeding. He even healed the scars on her face.

Footsteps approached the two of them and they snapped their heads up only to see Kyoya approach them with a cold and bored look on his face.

"Oh it's the two of you. I see you've found the both of them already…" mumbled the skylark to no one in particular.

"KYOYA! THERE YOU ARE! GOOD THING YOU'RE EXTREMELY WELL!" roared Ryohei with relief. Kyoya scowled and walked a far distance from the two of them.

"Keep it down you herbivore or I'll bite you to death!" growled the skylark impatiently. Ryohei laughed merrily.

Kyoya sensed it. There was something unpleasant coming their way. Kyoya looked at Ryohei and Knuckle who were still in the process of healing Chrome and Lal. This feeling he felt deep in his guts told him that this person coming was trouble for all of them. With a frown, Kyoya stalked off.

"OI KYOYA! WHERE ARE YOU EXTREMELY GOING?" asked Ryohei on top of his lungs, causing Kyoya to growl.

"I hate crowding…" replied the skylark coldly.

"Hahaha! Don't worry about him, Ryohei! Kyoya can take care of himself! Kyoya, make sure you return back as soon as possible alright? It'll be bad if we split up again!" called Knuckle.

"Yes…"

Later on, both uncle and nephew would regret letting Kyoya walk off on his own.

**IN THE TOWN**

Alaude glanced at his watch and tapped his feet impatiently. It was nearly 5 minutes and here he was stalking in the shadows like some kind of ghost along with Daemon and Lampo. 10 minutes left to go. Alaude felt his guts twist in dread as he remembered Byakuran's words. He peeked at his companions only to see that the both of them too looked were in distraught. When no one was in sight, he raised his hand, signaling that they were to move.

"_Kyoya, Mukuro…please, please be safe…"_ thought the man as he ran towards the entrance of the base.

**DONE! Yeah, I apologize for dragging Genkishi's fight. I promise to end it next week. As for the rest of the fight, I sincerely apologized if it didn't meet up to your expectations. I'm actually terrible at fight scenes. **

**Anyway, I'll be ending the Milliefiore invasion in the next chapter (hopefully) and move on with the story! I'm sorry for the long chapter! **

**Read and review like always! Until then, ciao ciao!:DD**


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**I did some thinking and decided I was going to twiddle around with Genkishi's past. Forgive me for the soon to be long chapter!**

Chapter 20: The Vongola Box

Kyoya cautiously walked along the corridors of the Milliefiore base, his right hand feeling for his tonfa's that were now neatly tucked away in his jacket. Just a few seconds ago, he had left his uncle and brother behind to heal Chrome and Lal Mirch after sensing a dark presence approaching them. Being Kyoya, he instantly decided to take a look.

"Kyoya! Kyoya!" chirped Hibird cheerfully as it landed gently on his beloved master's shoulder and rubbed its face against Kyoya's neck. Kyoya smiled and stroked the bird.

"Hey little one. Come on, I have something for you to do…" murmured Kyoya. He held out his finger and Hibird hopped onto it. After whispering a few words, Hibird nodded, chirped and flapped its wings. A few seconds later, it soared off into the never ending corridors of the Milliefiore base with Kyoya watching it.

"Oya oya? So this is where you've been all this while hm Kyoya?" came an eerie voice from behind. A vein twitched in Kyoya's head as he realized who the voice belonged to.

"Should I bite you to death on the spot?" growled Kyoya in annoyance. He turned around and came face to face with Mukuro who was now grinning eerily.

"Kufufufu…I'm afraid not. I have to look for my cute little sister at the moment…" replied Mukuro calmly.

Kyoya was about to respond when he had a feeling that someone else was coming. He then whipped out his weapons and got into position. Mukuro who had sensed this presence too grabbed his trident.

"Get lost pineapple head!" growled Kyoya menacingly.

"Kufufu…Why don't you get lost?"

"I'll bite you to death!"

"Kufufu…then I will skewer you!" replied Mukuro as the two boys glared at each other again. Despite having fought once together against the Storm Funeral Wreath, they still hated each other.

The sound of footsteps grew louder and the two boys tensed up. A man rounded up the corner, his hands resting lazily in the pockets of his uniform. He had spiky white hair and some sort of a purple tattoo beneath his left eye. The man smiled pleasantly at the two boys and stopped walking.

"Haha! I was right! You two were around the corner!" cheered the man happily. Kyoya and Mukuro frowned suspiciously. Who was he?

"Who are you?" growled Kyoya coldly, his tonfa raised. The man grinned and stretched.

"Now, now! It's more polite to tell your name first you know? After all, we've never met before right Kyoya-kun, Mukuro-kun?" said the man with a smirk on his face.

"How did you…?" started Mukuro as he clutched his trident cautiously. It was then he remembered. He knew this guy. He had once seen his uncle Giotto present a photo of this person to his father not too long ago. He growled and stepped back, his eyes glaring hatefully at the man standing in front of him.

The man laughed pleasantly. "Seems like Mukuro-chan knows who I am! That's right! My name is Byakuran, the founder of the Milliefiore family and the one responsible for the death of your younger brother, Sawada Tsunayoshi," announced Byakuran proudly.

Kyoya clutched his trident tightly as he felt his blood boil. He and his father had spent months tracking this man down and here he was, standing calmly without a care in the world, proudly announcing that he had taken down his innocent little brother. This was one enemy he had no regret killing.

The problem was, he couldn't kill this man. As he held his weapons, the conversation from a few days ago with his father played in his mind.

"_Kyoya, I admit you are strong but remember this; if you ever come face to face with the Milliefiore boss, Byakuran, get out of there as fast as you can."_

"_Why? He should be bitten to death!"_

"_The time will come when he will be defeated but for now, you're no match for him especially with that type of ring. This man…I think I myself would have a problem bringing him down," said Alaude grudgingly. He was annoyed and embarrassed at this confession but he knew it was true. After all, from years of experience, Alaude knew very well that the past wielders of the famed Mare ring were pretty much unstoppable. _

"_Anyway, never engage into battle with him on your own, you understand? If you do, I'll arrest you!" growled Alaude threateningly. _

"Kufufu…it looks like you and I have the same thoughts, Kyoya…" muttered Mukuro in a oddly calm voice. Kyoya snapped out of his thoughts and realized that Mukuro had moved in nearer to him, his trident raised.

Byakuran laughed. "Oh? Are the two of you backing down? Hmm…that's no fun! Come on! Let's have a round or two…if you can make it that is…" mused Byakuran with an evil glint in his eyes. He raised his finger, revealing the orange Mare ring that sat on his finger.

"It seems like I have no choice but to stay here and fight you, herbivore…" said Kyoya slowly, his eyes cold and drawling. He held up his tonfa's and stood in the middle of the Milliefiore corridor as though he was blocking the way.

"Oya? Are you serious Kyoya? Suicidal as always…" said Mukuro with a frown on his face.

"Shut up you herbivore. I never turn my back on a battle especially when they are behind me," growled Kyoya.

"Hm? Behind you? Are you talking about Mukuro-chan?" sang Byakuran with a smile on his face.

"You needn't worry about that," replied the skylark as he held up his ring and ignited it, revealing the Cloud flame that now flickered brightly. Byakuran whistled.

"Kufufu…I see…In that case, I guess I too have no choice but to participate in this needless battle…" said Mukuro after deciphering Kyoya's words. He grinned eerily and held up his trident.

Byakuran laughed, the sound of it echoing throughout the room. "It looks like Alaude-chan and Daemon-chan were a little too late…" said the man with fake sorrow on his face.

**SOMEWHERE IN THE BASE**

"_Hey, hey Talbot! Look at what G drew!" yelled 6 year old Giotto as he slammed the door open and rushed inside, waving a piece of paper as he did. Following close behind was a slightly annoyed looking G. _

"_Hoho! This looks like a…a…sideway boat with something in the middle…What is this?" chuckled the man as he studied the diagram. The paper had a semicircle with squiggly lines at the end of the shape. In the middle of it was an oval shaped object with the number I written on it. G turned red_

"_G-Give it back you stupid old man!" growled G, his hands lunging out towards the paper. Talbot grinned and held it up high while pushing G back. G, sensing that he was losing, turned around to Giotto and glared at him. _

_Giotto grinned sheepishly and turned back to Talbot. "That's supposed to be a bow. That oval shape in the middle is where you place your hand, according to G. It has always been G's dream to excel in archery and to create the ultimate bow, you know…" replied Giotto innocently. G had crossed his arms and was still glaring furiously at Giotto. This was going to be the last time he showed this guy anything. _

_Talbot roared with laughter and patted G on the head, causing the boy to turn red. "I see! I see! Nice try, G!" chuckled the man gleefully. _

"_Throw the paper away, old man!" growled the young boy impatiently, his face still red. Talbot looked at the photo again and shook his head. _

"_Nope! I'm keeping this! You'll never know when it may become useful! Now run along the two of you! I have things I still need to do! Shoo shoo!" said Talbot as he stuffed the paper into one of his many pockets. Giotto grinned, waved and ran out the door with G close behind. _

_**End of flashback**_

'_How the heck do you use this thing,' _was G's first thought when he pulled out the small red box Talbot had previously given him a few hours ago. Yes, he had pulled it out, vowing that he would take down the man in front of him but truth be told, he had no idea how to use a box weapon.

Maybe it was because he didn't even know of its existence until a few hours ago.

Someone had a lot of explaining to do.

Now, G examined the box with a blur look on his face. Was he supposed to open it or something? Maybe if he tried opening it like a normal box…

Genkishi watched his opponent struggle with his box with a bored look. Underneath the façade though, he was actually thinking of the box weapon itself. Byakuran-sama had specifically told all of them that the Vongola were the only family that did not own any box weapons. Genkishi clutched his sword tightly and raised it high.

"I can't wait for you any longer…" called Genkishi as he swung the large sword. In an instant, thousands of projectiles appeared, all of them aimed at G. Genkishi swung again and the missiles went straight for their target.

G smirked. He calmly placed his box weapon back and reached for two of his revolvers. Cocking them both each at the same time and igniting the authentic Vongola ring, he fired. Storm coated bullets, charged with strong dying will flames, flew out and collided with the missiles, creating a loud boom as they did. Genkishi arched his eyebrow, his eyes impressed. Anyone would have been if they had thousands of missiles destroyed with only two bullets.

G cocked his gun again and fired it at Genkishi. With fast movements, Genkishi sliced the incoming bullet and charged straight for G. Reaching for the bag hanging behind him, G threw the two revolvers back and pulled out a rifle. He then held it up just as Genkishi brought down his sword. The rifle which had been custom made by Talbot was able to withstand the impact of the sword. G then reached for his other revolver and fired it at Genkishi who jumped back in time.

However, G didn't allow his opponent to stop and rest. As Genkishi jumped back, he shifted his rifle into position and fired numerous Storm coated bullets. Genkishi cussed and swung his sword, directing another horde of missiles to counter the bullets.

"I see…so the rumor of your talent with firearms is indeed true…You are a professional…" murmured Genkishi, sweat dripping down his face.

"Nope. I still lack experience. You're just weak. Whenever I go up against Giotto, I always lose…" replied G calmly as he reloaded his gun again.

'**Just weak'**

'_Weak!'_

"_You're still weak, Genkishi! Come on! The mafia doesn't do well with weaklings you know!'_

"_Weak kids like you are the first to die in the mafia! Strengthen up you coward!'_

Genkishi growled at the memory and at the word. "Weak you say? Alright then…if that was weak, I'll show you what strong means!" snarled Genkishi out of the blue. He held up his finger, revealing the Hell ring which had the shape of a face screaming in pain. Upon activation, Mist flames surrounded Genkishi, forcing G to cover his eyes and move back.

"HAHAHA! What do you think now eh? Am I still weak?" roared Genkishi as he emerged from the flames.

"That looks disgusting…"muttered G, his face filled with disgust. The man with the cool, calm composure of just a few seconds ago was gone and in his place stood a skeleton. It looked like something Hayato would do a research on.

"By combining my box weapon and Hell ring, I present to you my most powerful weapon; Armamento da Guerra which was created by one of the father's of the box weapons. Tremble at its awesome power!" roared Genkishi manically. With that, he held up his Mare ring and ignited it, creating another sword. He then pulled out two more swords from his waist and jumped on to the hilt of the sword.

"Mystic Arte: Four Sword!" roared Genkishi as he charged forward. His speed had increased and if it wasn't for the fact that G had seen Squalo and Asari in action once, he would not have missed the fatal blows.

G cussed and turned around quickly, revolvers in hand. With accurate speed, he fired, the bullets bouncing off Genkishi's tough armory.

The skeleton laughed. "I told you! This was created by Koenig himself and thus, will have no weak spots! Who's the weakling now?" yelled Genkishi as he moved in with his swords.

"If I ever see this Koenig guy, I'm going to kill him…" growled G as he dodged yet another blow and fired. Cocking his revolver once more and with the Storm flame flickering strongly, G fired four heavily concentrated Storm bullets at Genkishi's swords, causing a loud boom once the bullets came into contact with its target.

Genkishi jumped out of the smoke, three of his swords destroyed. "HOW DARE YOU! MY SWORDS! THEY WERE A GIFT FROM LUCHE-SAMA!" shrieked the skeleton in agony.

"Luche from Giglio Nero eh? So it seems like you still do have a little affection for the family you betrayed," said G, his eyes hard.

"Betrayed? HAHAHA! I NEVER BETRAYED GIGLIO NERO! DON'T STAND THERE AND JUDGE ME IF YOU DON'T KNOW A SINGLE THING!" snapped Genkishi in anger.

"Oh? Alright then. I'll pay full attention to taking you down," muttered G with a slightly arched eyebrow. He looked towards his son and back at the enemy. He really had to end this fight soon or things would go from bad to worst.

If only he had an idea on how to open the darn box.

"Meow…" purred Uri as he rubbed his face against G's leg, scaring the heck out of him. It seemed as though he had ran from Hayato's side to G's.

"Do you by any chance know how to open a box weapon?" asked G without thinking. Uri purred and nodded his head, much to G's astonishment. The cat indicated its head at the Vongola ring and towards the box.

"Hah?"

Uri sighed and jumped down from G's shoulders. With a quick dash, he crossed the room towards Hayato and slid one of the skull rings from Hayato's fingers. Using his mouth, he then bounded towards one of Hayato's box weapons and pushed the ring towards the opening of the box.

"Is that so?" murmured G. He looked at his ring and then back towards the box weapon.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? ARE YOU MOCKING ME? TAKE THAT!" roared Genkishi as he charged forward, his sword narrowly missing G who was still examining the box.

"So all I have to do is ignite this and do this?" asked G. He had injected the Storm ring into the opening of the box.

A bright light filled the box as it slowly opened. Genkishi covered his eyes, shielding them from the bright red light that now filled the entire room.

"Talbot you old fool…So you still kept my old drawing eh?" mused G with a slight smile on his face as he examined his new weapon. Upon opening the box, something had strapped itself onto G's arm and he was surprised to see what looked like a bow. Taking a closer look, he saw that it was what he had drawn on the piece of paper years ago except that this bow was made out of bones and Storm flames. The number 'I' was written on the strap.

Leave it to Talbot and his weird ways. He had not been kidding when he said it would come in handy.

"W-What is that?" gasped Genkishi in awe. It was his first time seeing something like so. G smirked and raised his newly found weapon.

"I called it G's Archery years ago. Now, my patience is running low. I'm going to take you out in 5 minutes flat," said G with determination in his eyes.

Genkishi laughed. "A bow? Without arrows? Talbot has failed you this time!" said Genkishi in glee.

G snorted and pulled the string of his weapon. As he did, a Storm flame coated arrow came into existence. With proper aiming, G fired, the arrow whizzing past Genkishi's skeleton face.

"W-WHAT?"

"You really shouldn't underestimate Talbot. Even though he's a little crazy at times, he's the man who created the Vongola rings," said G coolly as he positioned his weapon. "Now, these three shots will bring you down."

Genkishi laughed loudly and stood up. "Bring me down, you say? I accept that challenge! Bring it on!" boomed the man, his sword in hand. Using the Mist, Genkishi disappeared.

G looked around cautiously. _'There!'_ thought the man as he turned to his right and fired a shot. To his joy, the arrow came in contact with Genkishi's armor, pushing the man back.

"I-Impossible! Just like that brat a few minutes ago! You're wearing a contact aren't you?" growled the skeleton in anger.

"Nope. I knew from years of experience."

Genkishi roared in anger and charged forward, disappearing once again into the mist. G sighed and pulled the bow string, aiming the weapon towards the ceiling. Upon release, four arrows flew up. They then changed course and headed straight towards G's right.

The arrows found their target and pinned him to the ground.

"What is this?" gasped Genkishi in surprise. The arrows had pierced his armor and were now holding him to the ground, a feat no one had been able to achieve before.

"Gatling Arrow was an attack I created as a child, something Talbot made into a reality. Its purpose was to sense the flames of the enemy and pin them down as what it's doing at the moment…" said G as he lit a cigarette and took a whiff. Turning to his opponent, he then raised his bow and pulled the string. A large amount of Storm flames started to gather.

"Goodbye," said the storm guardian, his hand releasing the bow string.

Genkishi roared as the flames whammed into him, the disintegration factor of the flames slowly cracking the armor.

"_You were always a brave person, Genkishi. Don't let anyone tell you likewise. Keep Giglio Nero safe…" whispered Luche as lay tiredly on her bed in her Arcobaleno form. She then smiled at Genkishi and patted him on his hand. _

"Goodbye_, Genkishi. Please continue on protecting Giglio Nero and don't let anyone know that I'll be going, especially Gamma," said Aria with a sad smile on her beautiful face. _

"_Genkishi! I had Mr. Talbot make this box weapon for you so that you'll be safe in battles!" came Uni's voice as she ran towards him with a cheerful smile, her arms cradling a box. _

"Luche-sama…Boss…Princess…" murmured the man as his armor and Mare ring finally shattered and he fell onto the floor, heavily injured.

'_Death…what have I done to deserve it at this age?' thought Genkishi as he lay on a hospital bed, his body covered with bandages. He had overheard the doctors talking to one another outside his room. They had said that he was going to die soon and that there was no chance of healing; his illness was something they had never seen before._

_Tears cascaded down the man's face. Uni had visited him a few hours ago, her face stained with tears. She was the only person who had insisted to enter the room without the need of a suit (much to Gamma's distress). Uni had held his hand and talked to him, wishing him full recovery but even he knew he had no chance of surviving. The look in her eyes filled with sincerity had nearly made his bawl like a baby but he held back his tears, not wanting his boss to feel depressed. He had painfully watched her leave his room when visiting hours were over, her face filled with worry and pure sadness. _

_Life had suddenly lost its meaning. _

_It was then that man appeared, walking into his ward like a boss. With spiky white hair and a sly grin on his face, Byakuran approached the dying man._

"_Yo Gen-chan! I heard about your illness! Terrifying isn't it?" said Byakuran casually. Genkishi kept silent. This was the man who had openly declared the destruction of Giglio Nero. _

"_Oh? Cat got your tongue? I see tear stains beside your pillow and I know you were holding back your despair when Uni-chan came to visit. It's understandable actually. Even the bravest man in the world would cry if he knew his time would be up in a few days…" said Byakuran cheerfully. Genkishi looked at the man with the corner of his eyes, not understanding what the heck was going on._

"_How about a deal, Gen-chan? I have medicine that I discovered while travelling in another parallel world that can heal your disease. I'll give it to you but in return, I want you to serve me and betray your family. In any chance possible, I want you to steal Uni-chan's Sky pacifier…" sang Byakuran happily as he stuffed a marshmallow into his mouth._

_Genkishi looked at the man with wide eyes. Betray Giglio Nero? His family? Pacifier? What was this man going on about? Luche's face appeared in his mind, the person who had willingly taken him in._

"_No. I refuse to betray Giglio Nero. I don't need your medicine…" replied Genkishi. Byakuran was silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. _

"_This is why I like you, Gen-chan! You men of Giglio Nero sure are loyal to your boss! But is your boss as loyal as you men are?" asked Byakuran with an evil glint in his eyes._

"_Uni-sama will never leave us alone!" countered Genkishi with the small bit of strength he had. Byakuran chuckled and opened a new packet of marshmallows. _

"_Alright then. So be it. I'll be back tomorrow, Gen-chan! We'll see who is right…" said Byakuran with a wave of his hand. _

_That day, Genkishi felt a strong surge of energy enter his body. When the nurse came to check on him, she discovered that he was healing rapidly. A miracle they said. Genkishi closed his eyes, eager to return to his family the next day. _

"_Yo Gen-chan! You should be grateful to me! Take a look at yourself! You look better already!" cheered Byakuran the next day. Genkishi kept silent, not wanting to entertain the man. _

_Hm? Tut tut, Gen-chan. That's no way to thank someone! Anyway, I came here to let you know that Uni-chan has disappeared…" said Byakuran with anger in his eyes. Genkishi snapped up and looked at the man._

"_U-Uni-sama?"_

"_Yes Uni-chan. She was always so unpredictable. What did I tell you, Gen-chan?" said Byakuran. Genkishi widened his eyes in disbelief, not wanting it to be true. _

_The next thing he knew, he was bowing low in front of Byakuran.._

Genkishi opened his eyes and gazed at the ceiling. He was not dead yet. Only his armor and ring had been destroyed by the shot. "Why won't you kill me, Vongola?" asked the man in his normal monotone voice. The bow strapped onto G's arm disappeared back into its box as G bent down and picked his son up.

"Unlike you b******ds, killing isn't a hobby of mine."

If Giotto had been in the room, he would have begged to differ.

"I must look like some type of monster to you…" muttered Genkishi. G arched an eyebrow.

"You all are."

Genkishi closed his eyes. "I'll tell you something in reward for being able to defeat me, Storm guardian. Whatever I did to Giglio Nero was never for Byakuran-sama."

"You've got to be kidding me. I saw you slaying your brothers that day Giglio Nero was attacked by the Milliefiore," growled G with a frown.

"That was necessary to gain Byakuran-sama's trust. They're not dead. I merely knocked them out," replied Genkishi. G looked at him with a confused look as Uri purred and rubbed his face on G's leg.

"Uni-sama is still somewhere out there and Byakuran is looking for her. I thought back then that if I joined Byakuran, I would have been able to find her. After all, I promised her grandmother and mother years ago that I'd protect the future generations of Giglio Nero," said Genkishi with a faint smile on his face.

G blinked twice, not believing his words. What in the blazes was going on? Just a few seconds ago, this guy was claiming that Byakuran was the savior of the new world and crap like that. It was either this guy was telling the truth or he was a really good actor.

"I won't blame you for not believing me but it is the truth nonetheless. I had a feeling Uni-sama would follow her predecessor's footsteps seeing that she was the Sky Arcobaleno and had gotten myself ready for something like this a long time ago," continued Genkishi.

"Then you should have just told us a long time ago you idiot! What was the need of fighting?" said G in annoyance. "We're searching for that girl as well! Do you know how terrible it would be if that guy got his hands on her pacifier?" growled G.

Genkishi shook his head. "If I did not volunteer to fight your son, he would have surely died against _them. _Be grateful I decided to do the job. Anyway, don't forget to get Gamma out of the base too. Uni-sama would cry if he died here," growled the illusionist.

"Wait! Who are _they_?" asked G, his eyes serious.

"The—" started Genkishi before the unbelievable happened. Cloud flamed coated flowers started sprouting all over his body, much to G's horror.

"What the he**" cussed the man, taking a few steps back.

Genkishi cussed. _'They know!' _thought the swordsman as sweat dripped down his face. "Vongola! Ask Irie Shoichi about Byakuran! He should know something! The Shimon rings! Keep Uni-sama safe!" called Genkishi.

With that, he closed his eyes and his body disappeared into nothingness.

**BACK TO KNUCKLE AND CO**

Sweat dripped down the priest's face as he concentrated on mending the wounds on Lal Mirch. The job was tough and needed lots of patience and accuracy. One wrong move and he could split open an artery and kill her on the spot. Beside him, Ryohei was doing his best on mending Chrome's slight wounds. Everything was going fine.

Of course, in the world of mafia, nothing ever stays fine.

As Ryohei healed his sister carefully, the unexpected happened. Chrome who had been breathing fine just a few seconds ago suddenly choked and started coughing violently. As she did, blood splattered out, much to Ryohei's extreme shock.

"UNCLE KNUCKLE! C-CHROME! HELP!" yelled Ryohei in a panicked voice, causing his uncle to jump. Knuckle turned around and was horrified to see a lot of blood splattered on the floor. With hurried speed, he quickly mended the last of Lal's wounds and rushed over to his niece.

"DID YOU DO ANYTHING RYOHEI?" roared the man in panic. Ryohei shook his head, his eyes looking terrified.

"S-SHE JUST STARTED S-SPITTING OUT BLOOD OUT OF THE BLUE!"

Chrome screamed, causing both of them to jump. As she did, more blood dribbled down the side of her mouth. "B-B-Brother…" whimpered Chrome in pain as her trident suddenly shattered into a million pieces, causing her to cough even more. Knuckle instantly felt her stomach and to his horror, discovered that her organs were missing.

That explained her sudden cough and blood.

Knuckle felt his blood go cold. Ever since Chrome had lost her organs that day, Daemon had created a link between Mukuro's trident and hers. This was to ensure that as long as Mukuro's trident was intact and something happened to Mukuro, Chrome would still be able to survive through the power Daemon had managed to seal (how he did was still a mystery in the Vongola household) in Mukuro's trident. Seeing Chrome's trident shatter meant only one thing:

Something terrible had happened to her brother, causing even the trident to shatter.

"UNCLE! SHE'S EXTREMELY LOSING OUT! SAVE HER!" yelled Ryohei in a panicked voice. He was now holding Chrome by the head as if to support her.

"B…Brother…M…ro…." whispered Chrome, her eyes fighting to keep themselves open.

"CHROME! THERE'S NO OTHER CHOICE! IGNITE IT! USE YOUR OWN POWER TO CREATE YOUR ORGANS! COME ON!" roared Knuckle fiercely. He shook Chrome by the shoulder. "RYOHEI! SUPPORT HER WITH YOUR SUN FLAMES!" Ryohei nodded and quickly got to work.

"COME ON CHROME! DON'T DIE HERE! WE ALL NEED YOU TO THE EXTREME!" yelled Ryohei, his voice forceful yet pleading at the same time.

Chrome looked at her uncle with her half opened eyes weakly. Mukurowl had appeared and was now flapping his wings at her, his eyes looking slightly panicked. Chrome then looked at her ring and mustering the last bit of energy she had, she managed to ignite it, causing a small flame to flicker. With a deep struggled breath, Chrome then slowly created her organs tiredly.

"That's right, Chrome! You're doing fine! Keep it up!" cheered Knuckle, sweat dripping furiously down his face. A few torturous minutes later, Chrome finished the deed and fainted out of exhaustion. Both Knuckle and Ryohei breathed a sigh of relief and hugged each other, manly tears dripping onto the floor.

"Looks like something terrible happened to Mukuro…" muttered Knuckle seriously.

"THEN WE HAVE TO LOOK FOR HIM AND KYOYA TOO!" roared Ryohei fiercely as he bent down and picked Lal and Chrome up, gently placing them onto his back. Knuckle nodded and picked Lambo up.

Mukurowl hooted and pointed his wing towards the corridor, indicating the both of them to follow him.

As Ryohei, Knuckle and Mukurowl ran through the corridor (or in Mukurowl's case, fly), they rounded up the corner and came to a terrifying sight that made all three of them widened their eyes in absolute surprise and horror.

The scene in front of them was like a scene from a horrifying movie. Blood was everywhere.

"K-Kyoya! M-M-Mukuro!" yelled Ryohei, his eyes wide with horror as he looked at his two siblings who were lying on the floor, unconscious. The both of them were lying in a small pool of blood. There were very deep wounds on Kyoya's arms and legs. Blood trickled down his forehead and mouth and onto the floor. His tonfa's were thrown far away.

Mukuro on the other hand looked just as terrible. His left eye was closed with blood trickling down. His face was bruised and scratched while his arms and legs too bore deep wounds. His trident lay shattered on the ground beside him.

And standing in the middle of this scene was the man everyone hated at the moment. Byakuran looked clean and perfectly fine, a normal smile plastered on his face. His hands were resting lazily in his pockets and he was humming a tune.

"Oh! No wonder the both of them had been so insistent on standing their ground! You guys were just a few feet away from this place! Haha! How noble of them!" laughed the Milliefiore boss.

"YOU…YOU…UNFORGIVABLE!" snarled Ryohei, his face contorted with pure anger. Knuckle himself didn't look too pleasant. His eyes were still glued to the scene in front of him, his body shaking with rage.

"Vongola Primo's Sun Guardian, Knuckle-chan! Are you here to give me the Vongola ring you hold?" sang Byakuran in a happy tone. "You wouldn't want me to go all out on you now, would you?" said Byakuran slyly, his eyes indicating at his two opponents on the floor.

"I…would rather die a righteous right than hand this over to you!" growled Knuckle angrily. Byakuran chuckled.

"All right then. I wouldn't mind that much!" taunted Byakuran easily.

Knuckle was about to put Lambo down onto the floor when a bullet whizzed past him and grazed Byakuran on his face, causing the man to stop smiling and turn to the source of the bullet.

"I guess it would be more polite to greet one another before engaging into a fight, isn't that right, Byakuran, Knuckle?" came a deep voice from the shadows.

"You're…" murmured Knuckle as the intruder walked towards the two men, swinging his gun as he did.

"Chaos, Knuckle-san, Byakuran," said the stranger in his deep alluring voice.

Byakuran's eyes widened by an inch as he looked at the man who had his face hidden by the fedora he wore.

"Vongola Primo's Sun Guardian, please take the two boys, get out of this corridor and get everyone together. Help is on its way. I'll hold this guy back for you so go!" ordered the stranger. Knuckle blinked his eyes.

"But…"

"Just go already! Don't make me shoot you as well!"

"But…"

"1…2…3…"

"I won't let them escape!" growled Byakuran, his hand raised. The stranger tapped his foot and with a rumbling sound, two bullets shot out of the floor, grazing the Milliefiore boss at the face.

"Now go!" ordered the man in an impatient tone. Without further hesitation, Knuckle nodded, dashed forward, grabbed his two nephews carefully and carried them on his back. Yes, he was very strong.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" asked Knuckle with worry. The man sighed and nodded his head, waving his hand as he did. Yelling his thanks, Knuckle ran off with Ryohei following close behind.

Byakuran growled at the man in front of him. "I'm surprised, why are you not in your baby form, strongest Arcobaleno, Reborn?" asked Byakuran, his voice serious.

"That's none of your business, Byakuran," replied Reborn with a smirk on his face.

"Oh? It is my business as you can see. After all, my Tri-Ni-Sette collection is missing two pacifiers at the moment. It would be a problem if your pacifier is missing. Don't make me squeeze the information out of you…" growled Byakuran, his eyes angry.

Reborn was silent for a moment as he pushed down his fedora, hiding his face from the young man in front of him. "I'm the world's greatest hitman. What makes you think I'll let myself be caught by the likes of you? My job here is done. Until then, Byakuran," smirked Reborn cheekily.

"I won't let you escape!" snapped the Milliefiore boss as he moved forward. Reborn cocked his gun and fired twice at the ceiling. With a loud groaning sound, the ceiling came tumbling down, forcing Byakuran to move back.

As the ceiling came tumbling down, Reborn reached for beneath his suit and revealed the yellow pacifier which was now dangling on a chain. With one last wave, Reborn turned around and disappeared into the Milliefiore base, leaving Byakuran on the other side of the rubble.

**That's it for this chapter. I wanted to finish the Milliefiore invasion here but the fight scene took longer than I had expected and so I had to end the chapter. I sincerely apologize for the long chapter. Anyway, please leave your comments behind as always!:DDD **

**Until tomorrow, ciao ciao!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! Many apologies for the error in the previous chapter. I meant to write 'Kyoya's tonfa's' but somehow wrote trident there. So sorry! I feel embarrassed. Thanks for letting me know!**

**Anyway I would like to thank all of you guys for the awesome reviews I received yesterday! You guys don't know how much it meant to me! I really love the whole lot of you!I'm really sorry for not allowing Reborn to fight longer but don't worry, Reborn will be back later. **

**Once again, I'm sorry for the really long chapter. **

Chapter 21: Operation, Escape from the Milliefiore Base!

"So which way do we go now?" asked Lampo timidly as he peeked from behind a wall, sweat dripping down his face. Unlike the rest of the guardians, they had ditched the vent system and had gone straight for the entrance of the Milliefiore base. After all, what was the point of being secretive when Byakuran knew they were coming?

Daemon scoffed and pulled out his weapon. "Nufufu…why bother with such minor details?" said Daemon with an evil glint in his already evil looking eyes. With a tap of his weapon, the ground rumbled and burst open, shooting hot lava as it did. Directing his weapon towards the glass doors of the Milliefiore boss, Daemon managed to blast a large hole, taking out a few Milliefiore guards as he did.

Lampo shrieked to himself in horror. He turned to look at Alaude, expecting him to glare at Daemon but instead saw him fiddling around with his communication device. He was either oblivious to what Daemon was doing or he just didn't care.

"The signal here is terrible. I can't get a hold back to base or to anyone inside as a matter of fact," said Alaude in his cold drawling voice.

"Nufufu…It looks like we'll just have to go in and run around…" said Daemon with a sigh. The three men got out from their hiding spot and ran towards the entrance which was now giving off smoke.

Alaude reached for his back pocket and pulled out what looked like a small electronic device. Switching it on, he scanned through the contents of the device. He was trying to find the shortest route around the base but it was no good; a lot of damage had been done to the base, causing all of the shortcuts to be either destroyed or cut off.

Not to mention that somebody had actually gone into the Milliefiore communication room and had destroyed everything, causing the connection error. Alaude knew this through years of experience.

"You know, if we cover the whole base, it'll take forever…" muttered Lampo. The two men glared at him.

"You got a better idea, Lampo? Or would you like to see my scythe sticking out from your stomach?" growled Daemon, his weapon glinting under the fluorescent lighting. Lampo gulped and shook his head.

"L-Let's cover the whole base!"

Alaude examined the area, searching for the shortest route when the sound of flapping was heard.

"Alaude! Alaude!" chirped Hibird as he flew into view and landed gently on Alaude's shoulder, flapping his wings as he did.

"Little one, where's Kyoya?" asked Alaude urgently.

"Kyoya! Kyoya!" chirped the bird. He then flapped his wings again and took off.

"Is that bird crazy?" asked Lampo helpfully. Alaude glared at him before taking off after the animal with Daemon and Lampo close behind.

The smell of blood filled their nostrils as they ran through the base.

**SOMEWHERE ELSE**

"G!"

"Giotto! Cozart!"

"Where the heck were you all this while?" asked Giotto as he ran towards his friend who was carrying Gamma and Hayato on his back.

"To save my idiot of a son of course. Good thing I did too…" grumbled G. He gently sat the two of them on the floor and slumped down tiredly beside them.

"A Funeral Wreath?" guessed Cozart with a grim look on his face. G nodded and took a whiff from his cigarette and took a deep breath.

"Who was it?"

"That man, Genkishi…"

"The one who betrayed Giglio Nero?"

"No. He didn't betray his family. We were all wrong. He was loyal to that Uni girl and his comrades till his very last breath. A respectable man…" stated G seriously.

"Huh?" asked Cozart and Giotto blurly at the same time. G sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Never mind…I'll explain when we get home. We've got to get out of this place soon or Hayato's going to bleed to death," said G, his eyes indicating towards his son who was now sweating. He then proceeded to carry him on his back. Giotto bent down and picked Gamma up.

Now all three of them had someone to carry.

"But which way do we go? We've been wandering around for hours now, not to mention this disruption with our communication device…" said Cozart with a frown.

"How about we get to the surveillance room? We could start our search for the missing team members there," suggested Giotto thoughtfully. G and Cozart looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

"But how do we get there?"

"Meow…" purred Uri as he jumped down from Hayato's head and ran to the front. He hissed once towards Giotto who arched an eyebrow in surprise. He then growled and indicated his head to the corridor. With that, Uri walked forward.

"He's telling us to follow him?" asked Cozart with a confused look on his face.

"Seems like it…"

"Alright then! Let's follow that cat! As they say, in times of doubt, an animal is always the best guide!" cheered Giotto as he followed Uri. G sighed.

"Where in the world do you get all these weird sayings?"

The three men ran, their eyes cautiously looking around to see whether anyone was following them. It was strangely quiet. They had expected the Milliefiore base to have been filled with guards and soldiers patrolling at ever corner but instead, all they saw were damaged walls or floors that looked like they were about to collapse.

As they rounded up one of the many corners of the corridors, Uri suddenly braked and snarled menacingly, his fur standing on his back.

"Looks like someone's there," whispered Giotto cautiously. Using one hand, G reached for his revolver and held it into position. Cozart adjusted Emma into an easier position eyes his surroundings.

"What is your Hyper Intuition telling you, Giotto?" asked G seriously. Giotto shook his head, his expression puzzled.

"It's perfectly calm at the moment. I don't understand why. It'd usually go crazy if it senses any danger…" muttered Giotto as he scratched his head. "Anyway, I'll go check it out. Come Uri," said the Vongola boss.

"Just scream if something happens," called Cozart. Giotto nodded and headed off. The two men waited anxiously, their ears and eyes wide open.

"WHOA….." gasped Giotto a few seconds later. Without hesitation, the two men rushed forward, their weapons in hand.

"What is it-whoa…." gasped Cozart, his eyes widening by an inch. G whistled. Uri continued hissing.

The scene in front of them was a total wreck. The bodies of the Milliefiore soldiers and guards were scattered all over the place. The floor was stained with blood while broken box weapons lay on the floor. The strong concrete walls bore large holes that looked like they were made from some type of animal.

"Looks like Kyoya came through this place," declared Giotto confidently as he winced at the sight.

"Looks like we know where the guards all went…" muttered G with a sigh.

"They're not dead though. Seems like Kyoya only knocked them out…" said Cozart. He hand bent down to inspect the bodies and had found a weak pulse.

"Just leave them be. I'm sure that Byakuran person will heal them sooner or later…not that I care…" growled G impatiently. Cozart stood up and walked towards his friends.

"Alright. Let's get a move on!" ordered Giotto. He looked at Uri who growled again and pounced off.

The three of them ran on, looking out for enemies as they did. So far so good. After running for a long while, they finally reached their destination only to find it in shambles. Smoke was coming out from the room.

"What the…." murmured G in surprise. All three men walked inside. The lights above were flickering. More Milliefiore guards lay injured on the ground, groaning in pain. There were some who weren't wearing the Milliefiore soldier costume but the normal uniform. Two women with pink hair lay unconscious on the ground, their clipboards and electronic devices scattered around them. The large holes they had seen in the corridor were also present in the room.

"I'm guessing Kyoya came in here and did this as well…" murmured Giotto. He walked over to one of the large electronic screens and read the contents of it. It looked like the surveillance and the communication rooms were the same. No wonder their devices were disrupted.

"Aren't these two women from that annoying organization, Cervello?" asked G who had bent down to examine the two women on the ground.

"Cervello? You mean that strange group made up of pink-haired women who specialize in fair judgment of a game?" asked Cozart with surprise on his face. G nodded.

"Those women creep the he** out of me. Giotto, remember the time when we were just playing this friendly game of dodge ball with the Varia and these women appeared out of nowhere and started reading out the rules and then judging the game? Thanks to that, I felt like it was a life-and-death situation where I couldn't lose…" growled G as he shook his head at the memory.

Giotto laughed sheepishly. "Oh yes, I remember that incident…" muttered Giotto with a shudder. When the Cervello arrived, the Varia became unreasonably fired up and took the game seriously.

And when they took the game seriously, the whole field was destroyed. It wasn't that Giotto minded the field getting blown up, it was the fact that when the ball whizzed by his face, he swore he could have felt ice starting to grow on the side of his head.

Not to mention that the Vongola had to cover up for the damage done to the field.

Giotto shook his head at the memory and went back to the issue at hand. How were they supposed to find the rest of their family members when the surveillance/communication room was out of order?

"I guess we'll—"started the Vongola boss when his Hyper Intuition told him that there was someone coming. Holding up his free hand to his friends, Giotto motioned for them to hide. Pretty soon, all three of them were hiding behind the nearest table that was surprisingly huge enough to conceal their presence. G had raised his revolver once again while Giotto and Cozart had gone into Hyper Dying Will Mode and had even summoned Natsu who growled.

The footsteps approached them and came to a stop outside the room. Giotto raised his finger to his mouth as a motion for silence. Cozart and G nodded, eyes cautious.

The intruder walked into the room. The three men looked up warily only to see a cloaked figure. G made a motion to attack but was stopped by Giotto who raised his hand. He watched as the person look around, as though he knew that there was someone in the room.

"What is he doing?" whispered Cozart. G shrugged his shoulders, his eyes following the intruders ever move. Judging from his height, he could not have been more than 16 years old. Who and what was this person doing?

Natsu on the other hand had a different reaction. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened in surprise. With a cheerful whine, he struggled from Giotto's shoulder and made a move to run towards this person.

"H-Hey! Keep it down, Nuts!" hissed Giotto as he clamped his hands around the small lion cub who started struggling even more.

"What's wrong with him?" whispered Cozart with a confused look on his face. Giotto shrugged and fought silently with the lion.

"He's looking right at our direction!" hissed G, making all of them jump. Giotto whipped his head up and true enough, the intruder was looking straight at their direction, everything but his mouth hidden from sight.

Was he smiling?

The intruder held out his hand and pointed to himself, then to Giotto and co, and finally to the door.

"I-Is he asking us to follow him?" asked G in disbelief.

"It seems like it. Should we?" asked Cozart as he scratched his head.

"Of course not you idiot! What if it's a trap?"

"But he's smiling at us."

"If Byakuran smiled at you, would you still follow him?"

"Good point…What do you think, Giotto?" asked Cozart, his eyes undecided.

Giotto looked at the intruder with his eyes slightly squinted. He felt as though he knew this person from somewhere but who? The way he smiled and the way he held up his fingers made Giotto think of Tsuna. And the way Natsu was trying to squirm his way out of Giotto's arms made it even more suspicious.

No, Tsuna was dead. Giotto had seen with his very own eyes when his son was shot on that day. It was impossible. Anyway, Natsu always loved pouncing on other people so this was actually a normal thing.

"Earth to Giotto!" called G with a sigh.

"Hm? Oh. I think we should…My Hyper Intuition is telling me that this guy isn't going to do anything funny to us. Seeing that we don't have any other leads, let's just follow him," whispered Giotto wisely. Cozart and G nodded, even though the eyes still held a suspicious look.

The three men got out of their hiding spots cautiously, their eyes never leaving the figure.

"Who are you?" growled G menacingly, gun in hand. The figure shook his head, turned around and ran.

"W-Wait!" called Giotto in alarm. He had not expected the person to take off like this. "G, great job scaring him…Come on!" sighed the Vongola boss, the dying will flame on his forehead extinguishing itself. G merely shrugged.

The person ran, not stopping for a break or to see if they were catching up. At every corner, he turned right and left. It looked like he knew every inch of the base, seeing that he didn't even stop to think about which way to go.

When the figure finally came to a stop, it was directly in front of what looked like a training room, one that had not been touched before. The figure looked around as though expecting somebody to arrive.

"H-He *pant* finally *pant* stopped…" panted G tiredly as he came to a halt and took a breath. Giotto and Cozart did the same. Running was not a problem. Carrying extra weights and running was.

The sound of running footsteps approached them, much to Giotto, G and Cozart's surprise. The cloak figure on the other hand smiled and waved his hand as though to reassure them. He then took a few steps back and turned around.

"W-Wait! Who are you?" asked Giotto, his eyes wide. He was still holding the still squirming Natsu at bay.

The person shook his head and took off, disappearing into the corridors of the Milliefiore base in a blink.

"Well that was…mysterious…" stated Giotto with a shrug of his shoulders. Cozart and G nodded in agreement.

"Primo! Primo! Primo!"

"Nufufu…looks like we finally found them," came an eerie voice from behind. Giotto turned around and was pleased to see Daemon, Alaude and Lampo.

"What took you idiots so long huh?" growled G, his foot tapping the ground impatiently.

"Primo! I'm saved!" gasped Lampo dramatically as he ran over to his boss and hid behind him, causing Giotto to arch an eyebrow.

"What the heck is wrong with you Lampo?" growled G, his right-hand man senses tingling.

"I don't ever want to get paired up with those two ever again. It was horrible," gulped Lampo tearfully. Giotto looked at his Mist and Cloud guardians with a questioning look. Daemon merely chuckled eerily whereas Alaude shrugged, his eyes cold.

"Where's Kyoya and the others?" asked Alaude, his eyes scanning the room. Daemon and Lampo followed the skylark and looked around for their missing kids. Giotto's eyes hardened by an inch and was about to say something when he was rudely interrupted.

"PRIMO! THERE YOU ARE TO THE EXTREME!"

"IT'S UNCLE GIOTTO AND THE OTHERS!" came Ryohei's voice. All of them turned around just in time to see Knuckle and Ryohei running up to them.

"Daemon! Chrome's not going to last any longer on her own! Make her organs now!" yelled Knuckle in a panicked tone as he laid all of the injured gently on the ground and pulled out his scalpel. Ryohei did the same and soon, they were busy healing Kyoya and Mukuro. Thanks to their short encounter with Byakuran a few seconds ago, they had no chance to stop and heal. (Knuckle wanted to make sure they were a far distance)

Daemon and Alaude were speechless at the sight in front of them. Without wasting any time, Daemon did as he was told and was relieved to hear Chrome breathe peacefully again. Yet the sight of her covered with blood and wounds still made his blood boil. It was even worst when he came to his son. Even when his left eye was closed, blood still trickled out like a faucet. Seeing the visible body wound made Daemon see red. He did not even realize how tightly he was clutching his own weapon.

Alaude on the other hand was shaking with anger, a feat no one had seen before. "Kyoya…" murmured the man inaudibly as he clutched his son's hand. Like Mukuro, Kyoya was out unconscious and was being healed by Ryohei who was sweating bullets. Alaude was speechless. Looking at the amount of blood Kyoya was losing made his already cold eyes grow even colder. This was the first time Alaude was experiencing such a feeling. It was almost the same when he found out Kyoya's mother had disappeared years ago.

The expression the two men had would have been enough to take down an entire Mafia family.

Giotto watched the scene with anger filling up his eyes, his fist clenched tightly. G cussed at the Milliefiore boss and held his son closer. He counted himself lucky that no serious harm had happened to his son seeing that he had gotten there in time and that Hayato was in no real harm in the first place. Cozart did the same, his eyes serious.

"Yare, yare…out again eh Lambo?" sighed Lampo as he went over to his son and picked him up. He smiled at Lambo who was now snoring in his sleep. Yes, he was covered in burns and bruises but no real harm was actually inflicted on him.

"Who did this, Knuckle?" asked Giotto in his boss-like voice. His eyes never left his two injured nephews or the enraged faces Alaude and Daemon bore. He understood how they felt.

"They encountered Byakuran along the way here and stood their ground because Kyoya knew that I was right behind them with Chrome and Lal Mirch…" replied Knuckle grimly as he tried his best to heal Mukuro's wounds.

"Byakuran?" repeated everyone in the room, their eyes wide. Knuckle nodded.

"No wonder they didn't stand a chance…D**n it!" cussed G angrily.

"Where's Asa—" started Giotto before he was once again interrupted by running footsteps.

"PRIMO! EVERYONE!" called Asari's cheerful voice as he and Takeshi came into full view.

"Looks like you just got your answer, Giotto," muttered Cozart.

"Looks like everyone's her-who did this?" asked Asari, his eyes meeting the two injured boys on the ground. Takeshi's grin disappeared as he looked around. So many of them were out unconscious and injured.

"Byakuran…" said Lampo quietly, answering Asari's question. Understanding flooded the swordman's face and he nodded, his eyes filled with rage.

"That's all I can do for now. He needs to be rushed back to base soon for a full treatment!" yelled Knuckle as he wiped the sweat from his face. Daemon nodded seriously and gently picked Mukuro and placed him on his back. He then bent down and picked Chrome.

"KYOYA TOO NEEDS TO BE EXTREMELY RUSHED BACK TO BASE!" roared Ryohei loudly. Knuckle came over, did a quick examination and nodded his head in agreement.

"I'll carry him…" said Alaude in his deep, cold voice. He then bent down and picked his son up.

"Right, is everyone here?" asked Giotto as he did a quick headcount.

"Where's that stranger? You know, the one with the fedora and creepy looking chameleon?" asked G, his eyes looking around.

"He told me to get out as soon as possible while he held Byakuran back. I think he did mention that he was going to get out on his own," replied Knuckle as he placed Lal Mirch gently on his back. G shrugged and nodded seriously.

"Bu how are we going to get out?" asked Lampo. He looked around wildly, searching for an exit.

"I—"

"Oh? So this is where you all are, Vongola…" came a voice from behind. Giotto and his guardians turned around and to their anger/horror/surprise, came face to face with the man they all hated at the moment, Byakuran. He was followed by an army of Milliefiore guards who were heavily armed, their weapons all pointed at Giotto and co.

"Byakuran…" snarled Daemon angrily. Everyone else got into position.

"Yo Dae-chan. Your son and Alau-chan's son sure are strong. They actually managed to bruise me right here—" Byakuran pointed at his cheek "—but I defeated them. Terrible injuries hm?" sang Byakuran cheerfully. Alaude and Daemon snarled.

"Hm? G-chan, wasn't Gen-chan sweet? Too bad he just couldn't get rid of his annoying feelings towards the Giglio Nero…If he had, I'm sure he would have lived!" stated Byakuran with fake sorrow over his face. " I'm sure you know of how I heroically saved Gen-chan from his terrible disease but would you like to know something? I was the one who injected the virus into Genkishi in the first place."

A vein twitched in G's head. "You d**n b******d. I'm going to send that f******g a** of yours to he**!" snarled G angrily, his hand reaching for his revolver. Byakuran shook his finger.

"Haha~~. Anyway Primo-chan, I'm here to collect the Vongola ring that rests on your finger!" said Byakuran happily, his eyes eying the rings. Giotto clenched his fist angrily.

"I told you once before, Byakuran. I'll never hand my part of the Tri-Ni-Sette over to the likes of you!" replied Giotto, his eyes filled with pure rage. Byakuran chuckled and placed his hands into his pockets.

"You must realize by now that you're in no place to say no hm Primo? After all, I could just destroy the whole lot of you with just a snap of my fingers…" said Byakuran in a matter-of-fact voice. Giotto was silent. There was truth in those words. They were after all surrounded by Milliefiore soldiers that were led by this man in front of him here.

Even worst, Giotto and his guardians each had someone to carry.

"Primo, if you give in to that man, I'll erase you from this earth, understand?" growled Alaude with cold eyes.

"So it looks like we'll be staying here to fight…" said G with a weird looking smile on his face.

"Seems like it…" replied Giotto with a sigh. Cozart grinned and raised his gauntlet.

"Nufufu…so be it then…" chuckled Daemon eerily.

"Takeshi, stick close to me, understand?" said Asari seriously. Takeshi grinned and nodded.

"EXTREME!" roared Ryohei and Knuckle together. The sound of Alaude preparing his handcuffs echoed throughout the room.

"I wanna go home…" sniffled Lampo pathetically, just as how Lambo did a few seconds ago.

"Haha~~! I'd expect this much from the famous Vongola family! No wonder you guys were chosen to be part of the Tri-Ni-Sette! Alright then, it looks like I'll be taking it by force…" said Byakuran, his eyes serious. The guards held their guns at the ready, preparing to shoot.

"VOOOIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!" came a very loud voice from above. The ceiling started to crack and everyone jumped out of the way moments before the ceiling came crashing down, smoke filling the whole room.

"What the—" grumbled G as he shielded his eyes from the smoke. The Milliefiore soldiers started screaming as knives appeared, stabbing them.

"Shishishi! The prince is here…" chuckled a voice.

"Bel-sempai…you missed half a dozen of them and still call yourself an expert knife-thrower? You fake prince…" came a bored, monotone voice.

"Shut up you da** frog! They're all dead!" hissed the first voice again.

"Now, now, Bel! Don't harm our dear daughter or Mother Lussuria will get mad!" came another voice.

"Boss, are you okay?" asked a deeper voice.

"VOII! SHUT UP!"

"You shut up, trash!"

The smoke cleared, revealing 6 figures. Byakuran's eyes became dark whereas Giotto rubbed his temples and sighed both in relief and exasperation.

"Squalo-sensei!" cheered Takeshi happily as he waved his hand at the man with long white hair.

"VOIII! THERE YOU ARE BRAT! LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE STILL DOING WELL!" roared Squalo back. Takeshi laughed and nodded his head.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Giotto hurriedly. Xanxus looked at him and yawned.

"Shishishi! We received a letter telling us to rush over to the Milliefiore base to help Vongola Primo and co. Our boss agreed to it," replied Bel with a wide smile on his face.

"Bel-sempai failed to mention that our stupid long-haired captain here actually got into an argument with the boss just to get here. Boss finally gave in because he couldn't stand his voice…" stated the young boy with the frog hat, his face bored.

"Nufufu…looks like you're doing well, Fran…" chuckled Daemon eerily.

"Alright, alright let's catch up at home. We're a bit busy at the moment!" yelled Giotto. Squalo grinned.

"ALRIGHT! LUSSURIA! YOU, BEL, FRAN AND LEVI GET PRIMO AND HIS FAMILY OUT OF HERE! THE BOSS AND I TRY TO DISTRACT BYAKURAN!" yelled Squalo on top of his voice.

"You know, you're supposed to let things like this stay secretive!" sighed G.

"Oh? I can't have the Vongola rings slip past me like this!" said Byakuran with a smile.

"So you're that scum Byakuran eh?" said Xanxus with excitement in his eyes.

Byakuran laughed. "And you're the famous Xanxus of the legendary group, Varia! Interesting…"mused the man.

Squalo opened his box weapon and a large shark coated with Rain flames appeared. "VOIII! PRIMO! GET ABOARD GRANDE PIOGGIA SQUALO AND GET OUT OF HERE! LEVI! USE YOUR BOX WEAPON!" roared Squalo as he waved his sword hand in a crazy manner.

Giotto nodded. "Alright everyone! Do as he says! This is no time to be debating!" ordered Giotto. His guardians nodded and did as they were told.

"Who knew sharks were such amazing forms of transportation?" laughed Asari cheerfully.

"I don't like stingray's…" whimpered Lambo fearfully as he climbed aboard the box animal. Levi did a thumbs up.

"FRAN! BEL! GOOOO!" yelled Squalo impatiently. Xanxus was already engaged in battle with Byakuran.

"Bel-sempai! Didn't you tell me once that you hated flying?" asked Fran in his monotone voice. His question was replied with three knives sticking out of his frog hat. "Ow…." muttered the boy as he jumped onto the stingray.

"We're in position. Stupid long-haired captain, it's time for you and the boss to join us!" called Fran boredly, Squalo grinned and nodded.

"VOII! BOSSSS! GET HERE NOW! WE'RE LEAVING!" roared Squalo loudly. Xanxus growled and combined his two guns together. Charging up his Sky flames, Xanxus fired at Byakuran who merely held up his hand. A loud explosion occurred.

When the smoke cleared, Byakuran looked around and growled.

The Vongola had escaped from him again.

Even so, there were many ways to achieve what he wanted. Byakuran chuckled. "It's about time the Mare rings were awakened once again…" mused the man as he strolled off into his now damaged base without a care in the world.

**IN THE VONGOLA BASE**

"VOIII! OPEN THE DOOORRRRRRR!" roared Squalo's voice from a mile away that was heard clearly from inside.

"THEY'RE HOME!" yelled Shoichi, tears escaping his eyes. He quickly pressed a button and the door slowly swung open, allowing the whole load of animals and humans to come tumbling in.

"ENMA! UNCLE COZART!" yelled the Shimon family as they rushed over to Cozart who was getting off the stingray. His face was pale but he held on tightly to Enma.

"QUICK! GET THE STRECTHERS!" roared Knuckle as he jumped of the Rain shark along with Alaude and Daemon. When the stretchers arrived (courtesy of the Varia and Chiavarone), they lay Kyoya, Mukuro, Chrome, Gamma, Hayato, Enma, Lambo and Lal on them and rushed off towards the hospital ward.

Needless to say, the hospital ward became crowded with the injured, the healers and those who just stayed there out of worry.

The Vongola base became even noisier with the sound of footsteps running around, yelling and Squalo's 'VOIII'. Everyone, including those from the Varia had something to do; let it be bringing food and water, medicine, blankets, pillows and on one occasion, holding down the patient who had started writhing in pain while Knuckle and Lussuria tried their best to heal him. Even Talbot went to work, repairing any broken weapons and roaring with laughter after listening to G's story about his box weapon.

Yes, everyone had something to do and no one was left empty-handed.

Everyone except for Xanxus who had quietly sat on one of the many couches in the base and started to snooze off despite the loud ruckus around him.

**Done. There, I finally finished the Milliefiore invasion! Yippeeee! All mysteries that you guys don't get now will be explained later on so please bear with me for a while! Until then, ciao ciao!:DD**


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU! Dear Saruko, I'm really sorry about my grammar errors. I tend to type fast and not look back at my work. Hehe. Thanks for letting me know about them!:DD **

**I am so sorry for not updating weekly lately. I've been really busy with school work and projects and I couldn't make time to type out the new chapter. Please forgive me! Also, I would like to add that the main reason they broke into the Milliefiore base was to defeat the Six Funeral Wreaths so that it would have been easier to take Byakuran down. **

**P.S Once again, I changed around with the creation of Box Weapons. **

Chapter 21: A Moment of Rest

**SOMEWHERE IN JAPAN**

"It's bright…t-too bright…" stammered a young boy. "B-Bubu is afraid of l-light…" continued the boy as he held up his toy bunny which had been ripped in several places. This boy had long, curly green hair that covered his left eye. His right eye looked around nervously.

"Idjit! You're so annoying Daisy! If it's bright then move somewhere else already!" sighed a man with red hair. He was sitting comfortably on a nearby sofa, his eyes closed. The boy named Daisy muttered something unintelligible to himself.

"Boo Zakuro! Watch what you say or Daisy may just kill you!" sang a female's voice from across the room. Zakuro growled and glared at the long cylindrical tank filled with water. Inside stood a young girl with long blue hair who had stuck her tongue out at Zakuro in a mocking manner.

"Shut up Bluebell! As if this weakling could even lay a finger on me, idjit!" said Zakuro angrily.

"B-Bubu t-takes offence t-to that s-statement…" stammered Daisy again as he shook in fear. Zakuro growled at him.

"You're not as great as you think too, foolish Zakuro!" said Bluebell with a taunting smile on her young face.

"Why don't you get out of your 'training' tank and have a go with me, brat?"

"Calm down, the two of you! Byakuran-sama wouldn't be pleased if he saw this now would he?" sighed another voice. The door opened and a man walked in. He had long curly light green hair that had been neatly tied.

"Boo Kikyo! Where did you go? Did Byakuran finally call us?" asked Bluebell excitedly. Everyone else looked at him, their eyes expectant.

The man called Kikyo sighed and shook his head, causing his comrades to lose their excitement. "Idjit! Doesn't Byakuran-sama see that I'm ready to serve him anytime? I could even take out the whole Vongola if I was given the chance!" growled Zakuro as he flexed his muscles.

"Grrr! Boo Byakuran!"

"D-D-Did Byakuran-sama f-f-forget about B-Bubu and I?" whispered Daisy, his eyes widening with paranoia.

The hooded man who sat in the corner merely grunted once and went back to whatever he had been doing, not bothering about his comrades.

"I understand how all of you feel but Byakuran-sama told us to reside in Japan until the time was right. Anyway, I received news about the base in Italy. Apparently it had been broken into by the Vongola family just recently…" announced Kikyo.

"Vongola family eh? They've got guts!"

"D-Did B-Byakuran-sama g-get h-hurt?"

Kikyo shook his head, receiving numerous relieved sighs from the group. "But they managed to destroy the 'Funeral Wreaths' there, including Genkishi," said Kikyo with a smirk on his face. His comrades burst into laughter.

"Idjit! That guy is finally out hm? Never liked him anyway. He always had that dead stare whenever he talked to one of us…So who killed him?"

Kikyo chuckled to himself. "It seemed like the flowers I placed on him got activated when he opened that big mouth of his…"

"Boo Genkishi! Torikabuto must feel happy that there's finally one obstacle gone!" cheered Bluebell.

"Nope. Did you forget, Bluebell? Torikabuto wants to defeat the Vongola illusionist, Daemon Spade. O-ho."

Bluebell stuck out her tongue again and swam to the top of the tank. She then proceeded to get out of the watery tank, her body completely bare.

"For goodness sake Bluebell! Put on some clothes, idjit! There's nothing nice to look at on your body!" sighed Zakuro as he closed his eyes. Bluebell turned red with anger.

"Go to he** Zakuro, boo!"

"Anyway, the Vongola managed to escape this round with their rings…" said Kikyo with a disappointed sigh.

"Tch! If I had been there, I would have been able to retrieve those rings for Byakuran-sama, idjit!" growled Zakuro angrily. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.

"Kikyo! Did Byakuran finally find that Uni girl?" asked Bluebell.

"Unfortunately no. It seems like Uni-sama has really disappeared from the face of the earth with her Sky pacifier…"

"I'm sure those Vongolians are hiding her, idjit!"

"Zaukuro's an idiot! Don't you ever read? Byakuran clearly wrote in the report that even Vongola Primo has no clue where she is, boo!" said Bluebell with a shake of her head.

Somebody knocked on the door and it swung open, revealing a female servant who was shaking in her shoes.

"E-Excuse me, Kikyo-sama, Z-Zakuro-sama, T-Torikabuto-sama, Bluebell-sama and Daisy-sama. I have a message from B-Byakuran-sama," announced the woman as she bowed low. In an instance everyone was on their feet, their eyes expectant.

"What is it? What does Byakuran-sama want?" asked Zakuro impatiently. The woman gulped.

"H-He said that all of you were to fly to Italy and join him in the upcoming b-battles as soon as possible…" said the woman.

"YES! FINALLY! FINALLY, IDJIT!" cheered Zakuro happily, an evil glint in his eyes.

"Boo Byakuran!"

"B-B-Bubu did you hear that? B-Byakuran-sama remembered us!"

"O-ho? Byakuran-sama!"

"…."

"Looks like we'll finally be able to enter the battlefield…"

**BACK AT THE VONGOLA BASE**

"So you're telling me that you're one of the few creators of this tiny box weapon?" repeated Giotto. With a grin on his face, Talbot nodded.

"Why didn't you mention this to us before? I didn't even know this thing existed until you gave it to us right before we left for the Milliefiore base!" growled G, a vein twitching in his head.

"That's because I had completely forgotten about its existence until that day!"

"Why you…." growled G impatiently as Giotto held him back.

"Nufufu…would you care to give us a long explanation about this contraption?" asked Daemon eerily. Talbot nodded and did a thumbs up.

"Alrighty then! I'll start from the start! It all started one dark, rainy night when I was sitting all alone in my humble home with a hot mug of steaming tea, looking at the fireplace and thinking about life…" started Talbot mysteriously.

"VOIII! THIS ISN'T TIME FOR OLD GRANDMOTHER STORIES! GET ON WITH IT!" roared Squalo. Talbot chuckled.

"The door knocked and I opened it. Not much to my surprise, in walked three famous scientist that are rather well-known in this era. The Arcobaleno Verde who was said to be the smartest scientist in the whole world, Innocenti who was Verde's pupil and Koenig, a brilliant yet crazy scientist who would stop at nothing in the name of science. At that time, the three of them was determined to create a weapon based on animals found in nature but was faced with a problem and therefore came to seek my help."

"Well, seeing that I had nothing better else to do, I agreed and for the next 4 years, the four of us tried various methods in designing the box weapon but every time we tried, we came up empty handed. It was actually nearing a point where all of us wanted to give up…"

"But it seemed like there was someone out there who knew of our research for one day while I was sitting alone in my home, holding one of the failed prototypes and wondering what went wrong, there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see a hooded person standing there. It had to be a man as his voice was deep and calm. Muttering a few words, he then handed me a piece of paper and said "For the future" before taking off into the streets."

"Curious with its contents, I opened the paper and to my surprise, saw a neatly written and drawn model of a box weapon. It even described to me what my problem was and what needed to be fixed. Well, using this newly found knowledge, I then created my first box weapon and presented it to the three scientists. Soon after that, we started creating more and more boxes."

The room had gone quiet as everyone tried to digest the information. "What happened to the other scientists?" asked Daemon curiously.

"The Arcobaleno Verde was just recently killed along with the other Arcobaleno. According to my reports, the man Innocenti was hunted down by the Milliefiore and disposed off while Koenig is still somewhere in hiding…" announced Alaude, his eyes hard and cold. Talbot shook his head sadly.

"So how do you open the boxes?" asked Giotto as he eyed his box weapon. Talbot rubbed his hands gleefully.

"All you have to do is inject your Sky ring into the opening of the box and your weapon/animal will appear. Of course I should mention that different attribute boxes can only be opened by their respective flames…" said Talbot.

"Huh?"

"For example, a rain attribute box can only be opened by a rain flame. If you forced a storm flame to open that box, the box will most likely stay shut or in worst case scenarios, shatter. The Sky flame however is the only flame that can open any type of box, let it be Mist, Storm, Cloud. Rain, Lightning or Sun…" continued Talbot.

"VOIII! DOES THAT MEAN OUR USELESS BOSS AND THAT DUMB PRIMO CAN OPEN OUT BOXES?" roared Squalo, his sword hand pointing at Xanxus who was still asleep on the couch. Talbot nodded.

"This wouldn't be good, sempai. What if the boss decides to open your box and finds all the types of harem you stored in your box?" said Fran in his monotone voice. A vein twitched in Bel's head.

"You da** frog! Who the he** keeps harem in a box weapon?As if someone as noble as me even looks at such things! Here, take these and go commit suicide!" growled Bel as he held out three dangerous looking knives at the boy.

"No thanks sempai… Unlike you, I appreciate my life too much…"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"VOII! BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!"

"Nufufu…it looks like he still hasn't learned on how to control that annoying mouth of his…" sighed Daemon.

"But you know, Primo. It was strange…" said Talbot suddenly, his face thoughtful.

"What was strange?"

"In the paper, the man had made a request to create your Vongola Box weapons. He had even designed the covers of the box but had left the weapon making to me. He even wrote 'The existence of the box has to be kept secret until the time is right for the sake of a bright future'. Well, I created the weapons but I still don't understand what he meant…" said Talbot with a shrug.

Giotto frowned. What was that supposed to mean? He looked at his guardians and even all of them looked confused at the information. The Varia looked clueless, the Shimon blur and the Chiavarone confused.

"Teeheehee! Though it would be fun seeing all your faces when you open your box weapons! It's too bad I missed G's!" sighed Talbot regretfully. Everyone looked at G.

"You already opened your box?" asked Giotto in surprise.

"Yeap."

"So what was it?"

"A bow."

"A bow?"

"Yes a bow. I called it G's Archery."

"Nufufu…what a lame name…"

"Shut up pineapple freak! Let's see what _you'll _name your weapon!"

"G's Archery eh?" smiled Giotto as he remembered his childhood. Talbot grinned mysteriously, his eyes glinting beneath the cloth that covered them.

**IN THE HOSPITAL WARD**

"WATCH OUTTT! OWW!" yelled Hayato as he sat upright on his bed and clutched his shoulder which had started to hurt. He cussed and looked around, eyes alert. Much to his surprise and relief, he saw that he was back home in the Vongola base.

"Oh Hayato! You've finally woken up! Hahaha! That's a relief! I was getting worried!" laughed Takeshi who had been dozing off in the corner of the room. He crossed the room and stood beside Hayato's bed with a goofy smile on his face.

"What am I doing here? Weren't we in the Milliefiore base a few minutes ago?" asked Hayato as he looked around, his eyes a total blur.

"Oh we returned home a long time ago and a good thing too! Kyoya, Mukuro, Lal Mirch and Chrome were in need of serious treatment. Uncle Knuckle said that if they had not been treated soon, they could have died…Lambo, Enma and Gamma on the other hand only received minor injuries. Uncle Knuckle said you were in the middle," replied Takeshi, his eyes unreadable.

"Where's Lal and Gamma? I don't see them anywhere…" said Hayato as he looked around. While most of his siblings were still asleep on their beds, Lal and Gamma were not in sight.

"They were moved to their rooms since this room is nearly full. Nozaru and Tozaru are tending to Gamma while Bianchi and that girl I-Pin are with Lal. Me and Ryohei were asked to stay with all of you guys!" grinned Takeshi easily.

"What about those Funeral Wreaths? Did we manage to destroy their Mare rings?" asked Hayato.

Takeshi scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I heard Uncle Giotto tell my dad and Uncle G that we did manage to break all of them so yes!" said Takeshi with a grin. Hayato breathed a sigh of relief and grinned to himself. Their efforts had not been in vain.

"Meow…"came a voice. Hayato looked up just in time to see Uri bound from across the room and jump in mid-air, his claws outstretched. A few seconds later, the cat landed on Hayato's face and started clawing him.

"GET OFF URI! AHHHH! DON'T INJURE THE INJURED ALREADY! STUPID CAT!"

"MEOW!"

"You and your cat sure share a loving bond eh Hayato? I wish Jirou did that with me!" laughed Takeshi enviously.

"WHICH PART OF THIS LOOKS LOVING?"

"OHHHH? HAYATO IS EXTREMELY AWAKE? GUARH! I'M EXTREMELY GLAD!" roared Ryohei's booming voice as he walked in, tears escaping his eyes. He took a look at the scene in front of him and his eyes lit up with excitement, all tears gone."OHHH? ARE WE HAVING A PET BOXING CHALLENGE? IN THAT CASE, COME KANGARYUU!WE HAVE TO KEEP UP WITH THEM!" yelled Ryohei enthusiastically. Kangaryuu roared in agreement and raised his paws. A few seconds later, the both of them were at it, creating a loud ruckus as they did.

"KEEP IT DOWN OW TURF TOP! YOU'LL WAKE THE OTHERS!" roared Hayato as he struggled to pull Uri off his face.

"WHAT WAS THAT OCTOPUS HEAD?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

"Ahahaha! This looks like fun!"

"Those who make a loud ruckus should be bitten to death!" growled Kyoya's voice. All three boys turned around and looked at Kyoya who had woken up and was now glaring murderously at his siblings. Ignoring the stabbing pain that hit him, Kyoya sat up slowly with a dark aura surrounding him.

"OH KYOYA! SO YOU WERE EXTREMELY AWAKE TOO! I'M EXTREMELY GLAD FOR YOU!" yelled Ryohei happily.

"Tch! Finally woke up eh?"

"Ahahaha! This is wonderful!"

"Kufufu…I wake up and this is what I hear?" chuckled Mukuro's eerily. Unlike Hayato and Kyoya, he had decided to stay where he was because he had a a very strong feeling that if he sat up, it wasn't going to be very pleasant experience.

"B-B-Big b-brother?" came Chrome's timid voice from beside him.

"Oya oya? So you're alright, Nagi. Kufufu…this is good. I'm sorry for causing your organs to disappear like that…" said Mukuro apologetically. He looked at his sister and was stunned to see tears cascading down her cheeks.

"B-Big b-brother! You're a-alive!" cried Chrome as she got out of her bed and flung herself at her brother (avoiding his injuries). "I-I'm glad…"

"Oya oya, Nagi. There's no need to cry. Of course I'd be fine! There's no way I would have died against that man…" comforted Mukuro with a gentle smile on his face. Chrome nodded and smiled at her brother. Kyoya on the other hand had a slightly arched eyebrow. If he remembered correctly, the both of them had been knocking on death's door.

"THAT WAS EXTREMELY TOUCHING! I-I'M EXTREMELY M-MOVED TO T-TEARS!" yelled Ryohei, his hand wiping away the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. Takeshi laughed while everyone else sighed.

"Oi you stupid cow! How long are you going to stay asleep? The last time I remembered, this idiot here told me your injuries were not that serious. Get up already!" growled Hayato as he glared at the bed beside him.

"The light…I see the light…I'm surrounded by darkness….I'm reaching the light…" muttered Lambo dramatically, his hands outstretched. Everyone looked at him and shook their heads.

"Get the he** up you stupid cow!" growled Hayato impatiently as his fist came into contact with the top of Lambo's head.

"Now, Now, Hayato! You can't hit Lambo like that! He's still healing up you know!"

"THAT'S RIGHT OCTOPUS HEAD!"

"Shut up!"

"My head…cut me some slack would you?" mumbled the young teen, his hands rubbing the top of his head gently, tears gathering at his eyes.

"Kufufu..and here I thought that you had grown after going into the Milliefiore base…Oh well, once a brat, always a brat…" chuckled Mukuro eerily. Lambo muttered unintelligently to himself.

The door burst open and Adelheid walked in, followed by the rest of the Shimon kids who eyed the Vongola kids with surprise.

"You're awake, Chrome! I'm so glad! I nearly shed a few tears when I saw your lifeless body on the bed, alone! Come! If you need a hug, I'm always here!" cried Julie pervertedly as he winked at Chrome and blew a kiss. Chrome turned red and fiddled her thumbs.

If Mukuro had not been confined to his bed with the many tubes sticking out from his body, Julie would have been made into history.

"J.U.L.I.E! GET A HOLD ON YOURSELF YOU PERVERT!" roared Adelheid angrily. With a dangerous flash in her eyes, she whipped out her metal fans and smacked him twice; once on the head and another on his face. The force of her smack sent him flying out of the hospital ward and into the wall.

"T-Terrifying…" stammered Hayato as he and Takeshi watched the scene with wide eyes. Ryohei looked impressed while Kyoya yawned. Mukuro had a satisfying look in his eyes while Chrome blinked in surprise. Lambo was hiding under his covers with one eye peeking out.

"Hey Lambo! It's good to hear that you're awake! I was really worried about you!" greeted Rauji happily as he waved at Lambo.

"Oh Rauji…it was good thing you didn't go…It was terrifying…" said Lambo with a gulp. Rauji laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Hayato-kun got injured now didn't you? I did warn you now didn't I? Piiiii! E! *click*" said Shitt P. loudly as she placed her hands on her hips. Like always, she was surrounded by what looked like two inflated balloon rings and had sunglasses on.

While everyone blinked in confusion, Hayato's eyes lit up with excitement and he pulled out a notebook from nowhere. "The U.M.A is communicating with her planet again. This time she adds a 'Piii', a 'E' and a click. She could be sending them a message about our world…" muttered Hayato as he scribbled down onto his notebook.

"THERE YOU ARE KOYO! I WAS EXTREMELY THINKING ABOUT FINDING YOU BUT THEN I EXTREMELY FORGOT!" roared Ryohei cheerfully. A vein twitched in Koyo's head as he raised his fist in justice.

"YOU IDIOT! WHAT WERE YOU ALL THINKING BARGING INTO THE BASE LIKE THAT IN THE END? DON'T YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED YOUR FATHER/ UNCLE'S WERE? BUT IN MY CASE, I JUST DIDN'T CARE IN THE END!" yelled Koyo angrily. Ryohei laughed merrily.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE EXTREMELY FOLLOWED US, KOYO! IT WAS EXTREMELY FUN! I MANAGED TO HAVE A ROUND AGAINST ONE OF THOSE MEN THERE!" yelled Ryohei.

"IDIOT! LOOK AT YOU! YOU'RE INJURED FROM HEAD TO TOE! IF IT HAD BEEN ME, I WOULD HAVE MADE IT OUT UNSCATHED IN THE END!" roared Koyo.

"WHAT WAS THAT? THESE INJURIES ARE NOTHING!I'M READY TO TAKE DOWN ANYBODY! EXTREMMMEEEE!" roared Ryohei back.

"Those who make a loud noise in the ward should get bitten to death!" growled Kyoya again, the dark aura around him increasing in size. He was extremely pissed about losing to Byakuran and now he was surrounded by people, the one thing he hated the most.

"Yo Kaoru! How're you doing?" asked Takeshi happily, his hand placed lazily on the boy's shoulder. Kaoru looked at Takeshi's hand in surprise and then away. No matter how many times Takeshi did the gesture, he was always surprised since no one else beside his family ever talked to him. Takeshi was actually his first outside friend.

"It's good to see that you're alright, Takeshi. From what I saw, it wasn't exactly very pleasant…" muttered Kaoru shyly. Takeshi laughed and slapped his friend playfully on the back.

"Well, it was quite a interesting adventure. I mean, I've never really entered another family's base before so this was a first!" replied Takeshi in his easy-going tone. Kaoru smiled.

"Hm? Oh everyone's here…" muttered Enma quietly as he slowly sat up and rubbed his head. He blinked his eyes blurly.

"ENMA! I'm so glad!" cried Adelheid in relief. She crossed the room and pulled Enma into a tight embrace, causing the young teen to turn red. "I was so worried! Ever since Shoichi and Spanner lost contact with you, I could hardly sit still!"

"A-Adelheid! L-Let go! H-Hey!" said Enma in embarrassment.

"TCH! IDIOT ENMA! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN YOURSELF KILLED BY THOSE ROBOTS IN THE END!" yelled Koyo angrily as he stormed towards Enma and whacked him on the head.

"M-My bad…Koyo…I-I'm sorry…" muttered Enma piteously. Koyo snorted and raised his fist again.

"YOU COULD HAVE AT LEAST CALLED ME! NOW I HAVE TO FACE THAT IDIOT KNOWING THAT WHILE HE WAS OUT THERE FACING OPPONENTS, I WAS HERE COOPED UP LIKE AN IDIOT! YOU REALLY ARE NO-GOOD ENMA!" yelled Koyo again, his hand pointing at Ryohei who grinned triumphly. Enma bit his lip sheepishly.

"Keep it down, Koyo! You're giving everyone a headache!" growled Adelheid menacingly. All at once, Koyo nodded and bowed politely.

"Brother Enma! I was so worried!" yelled Rauji happily as he pushed Koyo out of the way and embraced Enma lovingly, sniffling as he did. Enma looked around awkwardly. Kaoru, being someone who lacked social skills merely stood there and nodded in greeting.

"EEEE! Enma-kun! I missed you!" squealed Shitt.P happily. Unlike her other siblings who had pulled Enma into a tight hug or squeeze, Shitt P high fived with her younger sibling. She then flicked his forehead not to gently before walking out of the room with a "Piieeeee!".

"The U.M.A just did a secret handshake! I must follow her!" gasped Hayato in excitement as he jumped out of his bed (totally forgetting about his injuries) and ran out of the room, notebook in hand and with Uri chasing after him.

"Now, now, Hayato! You're supposed to stay in bed!" called Takeshi with a laugh as he ran after his sibling.

"ARE WE PLAYING CATCH? IN THAT CASE I'LL JOIN YOU ALL!" yelled Ryohei enthusiastically. He then ran out of the room, hands raised high in excitement.

I hate this crowd…" growled Kyoya murderously as he too slid out of his bed, ripped out the many tubes sticking from his body and slowly walked out of the room even though his body was screaming in protest. But being Kyoya, he merely wobbled out of the room.

"I'm hungry…" muttered Lambo. Pulling his blankets off, he too strolled out of the room.

"Kufufu…it looks like everyone's just dying to get out of bed…In that case, we can't lose to them, Nagi. Come let's go," chuckled Mukuro. Using his good hand, he slowly detached all the tubes from his body and slid out of his bed, all the while clutching Chrome's hand for support as he did.

"B-Big brother…I don't think this is a good idea…" muttered Chrome worriedly. She held her brother's arm gently.

"Kufufu…don't worry, Chrome. Just hold onto me to make sure I don't fall and I'll be fine…" replied Mukuro as the duo slowly walked out of the room.

"Ow…my head…" muttered Enma as he rubbed his forehead.

"Hm? Enma, is there something wrong with your eyes?" asked Adelheid as she yanked his head up and examined his eyes. "That's…That's the Shimon logo! Why do your eyes have it?" asked Adelheid in surprise. His once plain looking pupils now took the shape of what looked like four pointers of a compass.

"WHAT? HIS EYES HAVE THE SHIMON LOGO IN THE END? LET ME SEE!" yelled Koyo as he pushed his way through and stared into Enma's red eyes, eyes critical. It was true, his pupils had now taken a different shape. Kaoru and Rauji did the same and stared into his eyes.

"They look like Uncle Cozart's…" muttered Kaoru quietly.

"That's true…maybe…Enma is finally growing up in the end?" suggested Koyo wisely.

"Man Adelheid…You need to keep your monstrous strength to yourself…that wasn't a nice experience at all…" sighed Julie as he walked into the room, his hand massaging his now throbbing head.

"Tch! That's for being a giant pervert. You're shameless, Julie!" snapped Adelheid with her arms folded.

"You were just jealous…Oh Enma! You're awake!" cheered Julie before Adelheid could retort back. "I was really worried about you! Come here!" said Julie with his arms wide open. He then pulled his sibling into a hug and patted him on the head.

"Anyway, we've got to ask Uncle Cozart while Enma's eyes suddenly changed," interrupted Adelheid. With a warning look at Julie, she then turned around and stormed out of the room with Koyo following close behind while the rest of the Shimon kids helped Enma out of the bed.

**WITH HAYATO AND CO.**

Hayato walked around the base, his eyes wide with pure excitement as he searched high and low for Shitt P. Unfortunately for him, once she had left the hospital ward, she had pulled out what looked like a mini motorcycle and was now driving around the base like a drunk driver.

"Is that the latest alien technology? I-I've gotta write this down!" yelled Hayato as he scribbled onto his notebook. When that was done, he made an attempt to run after her but that proved to be difficult as his body was still on the road to healing.

With a sigh, Hayato walked forward, passing the living room as he did.

"VOIIIIII!" roared Squalo from inside the room, causing the young boy to jump and nearly slam into the nearby wall. He cussed and was about to barge in and give that guy a piece of his mind when he heard G's voice.

"Can you keep the he** down? We'll be discovered by the Milliefiore at this rate!"

"I agree with pinkie-hair there. Captain, your voice is terrible…" came Fran's bored voice.

"Ushishishi! I the prince for once agrees with this froggy…" chuckled Bel.

Hayato sighed. What were they doing here?

"SHUT UP! I HAVE SOMETHING TO ASK PRIMO AND HIS GUARDIANS! VOIIII YOU TRASH! IS IT TRUE?" asked Squalo in his deafening voice.

"What's true?" asked Giotto's voice blurly.

"THAT YOU GUYS ARE ACTUALLY RELATED TO THOSE BRATS! BY BLOOD!" yelled Squalo.

"Ooooo! Mother Lussuria was going to ask about that too! Now tell me all the juicy information!" sang Lussuria's voice.

Hayato who had been turning to leave stopped in his tracks, eyes wide with disbelief. In a heartbeat, he turned back and leaned against the wall, ears and eyes wide.

"Oh Hayato! There you are! We were just—"

"SHHH!"

"WHAT—"

"SHHHHHH!"

Takeshi and Ryohei who had just rounded up the corner with Kyoya blinked in confusion as Hayato put his finger to his lips and motioned for them to move in closer. With a confused look, the three of them did as they were told.

"Yare, yare…There was no food in the kitchen…Hm? What are—" asked Lambo who was the next to arrive but was silenced by Hayato's well-known glare. With a gulp, Lambo crept nearer and silently sat beside his siblings.

"What are we—"

"SHHHH!" hissed Hayato again as he pointed to the living room.

"Who told you about that?" growled G's voice.

"Ushishishi! We're the Varia. We know everything…" chuckled Bel mysteriously.

"Right…How could I have forgotten about the famed intelligence of the Varia…" muttered G sarcastically.

"VOIII! GET ON TO THE POINT!WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT YOU WERE TSUNA'S UNCLE?" roared Squalo impatiently. Giotto on the other hand merely grinned proudly.

"Isn't that great news?"

"Oooo! Little Tsunayoshi-kun is related to you? I'm so jealous! I'm sorry about his death though. It broke my fragile little heart!" cried Lussuria tragically.

"Lussuria-sempai flooded the bathroom with his tears. It nearly made the boss pull out all of his hair…" interrupted Fran.

"Well, Giotto here almost did that too you know…" muttered G.

"ANYWAY, LET'S MOVE ON TO YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ESPECIALLY THAT THAT KATANA BRAT IS YOUR RELATIVE HAH? NO WONDER I FEEL SO ANNOYED TALKING TO THE BOTH OF YOU!" yelled Squalo accusingly. Asari laughed.

"Sorry, Sorry! I'll tell you the next time!" laughed Asari good-heartedly.

Outside, the look of confusion on everyone's faces disappeared and in its place, surprise. Kyoya arched his eyebrows.

"Ahaha! This was really unexpected! To think we're related!" laughed Takeshi happily, his eyes shining with excitement.

"No wonder the both of you have that idiotic look on your faces…" muttered Hayato with a shake of his head. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

"AND YOU! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ANY OF US THAT YOU WERE HAYATO'S REAL DAD?" roared Squalo.

Everyone looked at Hayato with pure shock on their faces. Hayato himself had his mouth and eyes wide open in disbelief. Was this a joke?

"Tch. Like I had a chance to tell any of you. All of us just found out a few weeks ago. Believe me, I still find this hard to belief," growled G.

Hayato's mouth became even wider.

"Well that was a surprise…Uncle Daemon told me that you had no hope with women…" drawled Fran's voice. The sound of Daemon chuckling to himself was heard.

"Well Daemon was wrong. It's a miracle but G here managed to find a real beautiful woman…" said Giotto pleasantly. "Here, I have a picture of her!" announced Giotto.

"What the he** was that suppose to mean? And when did you manage to get that from my pocket? Giottoo!"

"VOIIIII! I KNOW THIS WOMAN! SHE'S THAT FAMOUS PIANIST THAT TRAVELLED AROUND ITALY! SHE ONCE PLAYED FOR US BUT THIS SCUM OF A BOSS FELL ASLEEP!" yelled Squalo.

"Ahhh! I remember her! Her skin was so fair and pretty! She was so beautiful that I felt jealous of her! If I remember correctly, her name was Lavina!" cooed Lussuria in his girly voice.

"I hate all of you…"

"Oh? Isn't that your mother's name, Hayato? Hayato?" asked Takeshi as he turned around only to find that his brother had now turned to stone, his expression one filled with disbelief. "Hayato?"

"Well, I am surprised…" announced Lambo. All this while they were father and son. Who knew?

"This is extremely good news! Great job, Hayato!" laughed Ryohei quietly as he slapped the still dumbstruck Hayato on the back. Hayato was beyond speechless. Was this what Bianchi had meant when she said true heritage?

"He should be arrested for having a child out of wedlock…" growled Kyoya.

"Kufufu…what are all of you doing—" came Mukuro's voice before he was silenced by his siblings, much to his surprise. "What are you all doing? And why is Hayato staring at the door with a stupid look on his face like that?" whispered the boy. Chrome blinked at Hayato who still had his eyes and mouth wide open.

"We'll explain later. Come and join us to the extreme for now!" whispered Ryohei back his eyes excited. Mukuro and Chrome looked at each other in confusion but did as they were told.

"I was also quite surprised to find out that you had a sister, Knuckle! To think that Ryohei was your long-lost nephew put me in tears!" cried Lussuria dramatically. Knuckle laughed.

"Me too! It was an extremely shocking discovery!"

Ryohei blinked once before breaking into a wide smile. "EXT—" yelled Ryohei before he was silenced by Takeshi who had quickly clamped his mouth.

"Shhh!"

"Sorry!"

"Oya oya…"

"Ushishishi! That wasn't that surprising, Lussuria. I was more surprised about this idiot here. To think he knocked up a young lady at such a young age…Ushishishi! Unbelievable…" chuckled Bel mockingly.

"THAT'S RIGHT, LAMPO! WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?" roared Squalo accusingly.

"That's right, Lampo. Now that I think of it, how old were you?" asked Daemon thoughtfully.

"U-U-Uhm…I-I…was 19?" stammered Lampo. The air of disapproval filled the room.

"I never thought you were that type, cousin…" muttered Levi with a shake of his head.

"Nufufu…we are all still shocked at your behavior, Lampo…"

"Let's just hope Lambo doesn't turn out like that…"

"L-Lambo? O-Oi Lambo! Are you alright?" asked Ryohei as he shook the young boy who was now putting on the expression Hayato had and still has.

"M-My father…oh…." muttered Lambo before fainting on the spot, arms spread out.

"Well, I do remember Uncle Giotto saying that he knew Lambo's father before…" laughed Takeshi good-naturedly.

"Oya oya…now this was really unexpected…" chuckled Mukuro eerily. Chrome giggled.

"He too should be arrested for this unforgivable behavior," growled Kyoya.

"Well, I thought that Alaude-san was the most shocking of them all. To think that he too would do such a thing. I always thought he was a cold, evil, blood-loving man. To think that he too was capable of loving someone else. You should get arrested, Alaude-san…" said Fran in his monotone voice.

"I'll be arresting you next…" growled Alaude's voice impatiently from inside.

"I wanna see Kyoya's mother! Do you have a picture, Alaude?" asked Lussuria in a happy tone.

"No."

"Oh come on!"

"Go away before I bite you to death!" said Alaude, quoting Kyoya's favorite phrase.

"Kufufu…who did you say should get arrested again, Kyoya?" asked Mukuro outside, his eyes glinting with amusement. Disbelief and surprise had flooded into Kyoya's face but quickly wiped off.

"I'm going to arrest my father later…" muttered Kyoya, a dark aura starting to surround him as he looked at the floor. He was confused and not to mention that his wounds were not really helping him think. He looked around. Ryohei and Takeshi were both trying to revive Hayato who was still petrified from shock and Lambo who had fainted. Chrome on the other hand was looking worriedly at her brother.

"It looks like you're the only normal person here, Uncle Daemon. How sad…" said Fran boredly.

"Nufufu…it would seem so…"

Mukuro and Chrome sighed in disappointment. They wanted to find a reason to show that they were not related to their parents but unfortunately for them, it was not so. Oh well.

A yawn filled the whole room, followed by a loud sneeze.

"VOIII! THERE YOU ARE BOSS! WHAT THE F*** WERE YOU DOING ALL THIS WHILE?" roared Squalo angrily.

"Shut up trash."

"Bossu! Would you like anything?" asked Levi's voice.

"No."

"Thanks for helping us out back there, Xanxus. I owe you." said Giotto's voice gratefully.

"Thank the person who sent the note to us. Besides, if this scum here didn't make so much of a ruckus, I would not have bothered going…" replied Xanxus boredly.

"A-Ah…I see…but thanks anyway."

"I expect my pay to increase, trash."

"…"

"Anyway, if you're all done, I'd really appreciate it if all of you kept this little conversation to yourselves. I don't think I want Hayato to find out about this soon…" muttered G.

Xanxus snorted. "A too late for that trash. Didn't any of you notice that your conversation has been heard by the brats sitting outside?" stated the Varia boss boredly, his eyes closed.

"Uh-oh…busted…" said Fran calmly as the eyes of the Vongola Guardians increased.

"S***" cussed G with his eyes closed. Lampo gulped while Alaude glared murderously at the Varia members who were now looking away innocently. Asari, Knuckle and Giotto on the other hand didn't seem to mind. In fact, they looked happy.

"Hey there, Takeshi!" called Asari happily. The door swung open, revealing the 7 teens sitting on the floor or in Lambo's case, lying. Hayato still had a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Chrome! Mukuro!" yelled Daemon and with a quick movement, he was beside his children, helping Mukuro stand up. "Nufufu…I know you're strong but shouldn't the both of you be in bed, especially you, Mukuro," said Daemon, his fatherly skills kicking in.

"Kufufu…don't worry, Father. I'm perfectly fine," said Mukuro with a straight face even though his entire body was screaming 'Lie-down-this-instance-you-idiot!".

"We're fine, Father…Sorry for making you worried…" muttered Chrome guiltily. Daemon smiled and patted her on the head.

"Nufufu…don't worry about it, Chrome. Just don't do it again."

"Pineapple head, you look really well," said Fran boredly.

"Kufufu…shut up," replied Mukuro as he pulled out a broken piece of his trident and threw it at Fran who dodged it neatly.

"UNCLE KNUCKLE! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THAT WE WERE RELATED?" roared Ryohei with tears in his happy tears in his eyes.

"FORGIVE ME, RYOHEI! I WOULD HAVE TOLD YOU BUT G TOLD US NOT TO TELL YET! NOW THAT I LOOK AT YOU, YOU REALLY LOOK A LOT LIKE YOUR MOTHER!" yelled Knuckle tearfully as the uncle and nephew hugged each other.

"VOIIII! THAT'S GROSS!" roared Squalo in disapproval. Shoichi, Spanner and Giannini who had been silent the whole conversation sighed and shook their heads.

"Ohh? You're part of the Yamamoto clan too, dad? I didn't know that!" laughed Takeshi cheerfully.

"I'm a far relative of you, Takeshi! Maybe that's why you didn't know! I really should take you to meet my father in Japan!" laughed Asari as he patted his son on the head.

"Oi, Lambo. Lambo! Oi!" called Lampo with a sigh. He poked his son on the head but received no response. "Yare yare…what a pain…now I have to explain everything when he wakes up…" sighed Lampo.

Kyoya glared at his father, slowly stood up and wobbled into the Vongola corridors. After a few minutes of debating with himself, Alaude followed his son.

"You know, G. Hayato looks like he's seen a ghost…" said Giotto as both he and G squatted in front of Hayato who was still in the midst of being surprise.

"This would have been a priceless photo if only the situation wasn't so awkward…Now I have to explain this to him and I can't even get mad at him for sneaking into the base…" sighed G.

"Well, first things first. You've got to snap him out of whatever his doing," said Giotto wisely.

"How do you do that? I'm sure whacking him won't help."

"Allow me," came Bianchi's voice. She pushed the two men aside and looked at Hayato in the eyes. She then proceeded to take of her goggles. "Hayato. Wake up," called Bianchi calmly.

Colour flooded Hayato's face and a few minutes later, his face turned green. "E-Elder s-sister…I-I can't…" gasped Hayato before passing out from all the shocks.

"And now he's fainted…" sighed G.

"At least he moved…" pointed out Giotto positively. G glared at his friend before picking Hayato up. With a wave, he walked off.

"Hayato's going to be difficult about this…" sighed Bianchi.

"I have a feeling he will too…"

"But I'm sure he's happy deep down. When he was younger, my father never treated him fairly. Even though he never raised a hand or voice against him, there was just some type of barrier between them that Hayato never understood…Maybe it's a good thing he found out the truth," said Bianchi with a smile. "Anyway, would you like to try out some of my cooking?" asked Bianchi as she whipped out a plate of fish that reeked with the smell of death.

"I-I'll p-pass…"

"UNCLE COZART! WE'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU!" yelled Koyo as the Shimon group stormed into the living room. Cozart who had been sleeping snapped open his eyes and looked at them blurly.

"What is it? Did something happen to Enma?" asked Cozart, his eyes suddenly alert.

"I'm right here, papa…" muttered Enma quietly. Cozart grinned.

"Enma! Glad to see you're awake!" cheered Cozart as he ruffled his son's hair.

"Uncle, Enma's eyes have suddenly changed. Look!" said Adelheid seriously.

Cozart looked into Enma's eyes and laughed, much to everyone's surprise. "Enma! You've finally inherited the Shimon crest! Congratulations!" yelled Cozart happily.

"S-Shimon c-crest?" repeated Enma blurly. Cozart nodded and patted his son on the back.

"Teeheehee! When an Earth flame user awakens his power for the first time, his or her pupils with take the shape of the Shimon crest to show that he or she is the true heir of the Shimon. The same has happened to the previous Shimon bosses. This is called inheritance and has been going on for a long time now…" chuckled Talbot gleefully.

"S-Shimon…"

"…boss?"

"Well that's wonderful! Great job, Enma!" cheered Julie with a smack on his back.

"We should celebrate!" said Adelheid, her eyes wide with excitement. Cozart nodded.

As everyone joked and laughed with one another (Xanxus throwing a vase at his right hand man for yelling at him), the nearby screen begun to buzz, surprising the three mechanics.

"T-The screen! Primo-san!" yelled Shoichi in panic, silencing the room as he did.

"What's wrong, Shoichi? What is it this time?" asked Giotto, his voice boss-like.

"I-I don't understand. The screen suddenly buzzed like that and—" said Shoichi before he was rudely interrupted.

"Ran Ran Byakuran! Ran Ran Byakuran!" said a female's voice as the screen came to live and a chibi version of Byakuran started dancing and jumping in a field of marshmallows.

"What the h***" muttered Daemon with a frown. Everyone (minus Alaude, G, Hayato and Kyoya) moved towards the screen, their faces serious. Even Xanxus had his eyes open.

"Hello once again, Vongolians and Varians! It's me, Byakuran calling in for the 3rd time now!" sang Byakuran's voice. The small dancing figure of him disappeared and in its place sat Byakuran who was eating ice-cream.

"Byakuran…" muttered Giotto under his breath. Daemon held onto his children's shoulders. Xanxus glared at the screen. Even Asari and Knuckle looked angry.

"Seriously, we need to stop this guy from hacking into our base…" muttered Lambo to no one in particular.

"What do you want, Byakuran?" asked Giotto seriously.

"Patience is a virtue, Gio-chan but alright, I'll carry on. I'm here to challenge the Vongola and Varia to a battle over the Tri-Ni-Sette and the winner takes it all!" said Byakuran happily.

Giotto looked at the screen in surprise. Deep down, his Hyper Intuition was getting up to its old tricks again.

**Done! I'm so sorry I couldn't elaborate more on the chapter! I was running out of time and had to cut this chapter into half. Sorry! I'm so sorry if it's long!**

**Though, I have a question for all you guys so please vote. **

**If you were to see 2 Vongola guardians (first generation), who would you like to see fight? **

**1. Knuckle**

**2. Alaude**

**3. Daemon**

**4. Asari**

**5. G**

**Just type down the number and majority wins. Till then, CiAo!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Once again, I sincerely thank all of you guys for the reviews, story and favorite alerts. I really love you guys to the bottom of my esophagus, to my lungs, through my veins and arteries and to my heart. **

**Anyway, I just want to warn you guys that my version of Choice is completely different from the anime version since I don't think it would be interesting at all if it was the same. **

**Enough of my drabble. Here's Chapter 24!:D**

***NOTE: Italics mean flashback.**

Chapter 23: Perseverance

"_Mom, does Dad hate me?" asked 3 year old Hayato, his eyes looking expectantly at his mother who was sitting on a sofa, book in hand. Lavina looked up from her book in surprise. _

"_Of course not, Hayato! What makes you say that?" asked Lavina as she put her book down and picked the now chuckling Hayato up. _

_Hayato snuggled close to his mother and smiled contently. "Well, dad never seems to care about what I do. When I went to his study just now to ask him to watch me play the piano, he merely shook his head, saying he was busy and couldn't come," said Hayato with a pout. _

_Lavina smiled and patted his head. "But Hayato, he really is a busy man being the boss and all," pointed out Lavina. _

"_But he makes time for elder sister's cooking dates. He even forces himself to eat her terrible cooking," argued Hayato as he made a vomiting face. The last time he was force-fed her cooking, Hayato stayed in bed for a week. Lavina smiled gently. _

"_Don't worry about it, Hayato. Your father loves you even though he hardly shows his feelings. I'm sure he's just being like this because he's got an important meeting coming up tomorrow and needs time to plan things out. He'll watch you play when he's free!" said Lavina lovingly. Hayato's face lit up eagerly._

"_Really, mum?" _

_Lavina nodded her head and smiled. "That's right. And besides, I'm right here if you need me! I'll always be with you," whispered Lavina mysteriously as she tickled her son's stomach, causing him to burst into fits of laughter. "Go on. Go and play for me a song on the piano!" _

_Hayato nodded and slid away from his mother's arms. _

"_Your father loves you, Hayato…even if he doesn't know it…" whispered Lavina, her expression sad as she watched her son scramble onto the piano seat and place his hands on the keys. _

"YEOWWW!" yelled Hayato as a loud 'clonk' filled the room and Hayato fell back onto the pillow once again, cussing and holding his head at the same time. He glared at the culprit; the metal frame that kept the second bunk of the bed in place; and realized that he was back in the room he and his father shared.

"Oh Hayato, you're finally awake hm?" came G's voice from beside the bed. "Nice way to keep yourself awake by the way."

Hayato growled and rubbed his head again. "Shut up old man! I had a really strange dream…" muttered Hayato. G sat on the nearby chair and arched his eyebrow.

"I dreamt that I woke up in the hospital wing, took a stroll in the corridors and overheard that d*** shark say that you were my real father…crazy dream…" continued the young teen.

"Hayato."

"What?"

"That wasn't a dream."

"What?"

"Your 'crazy dream' wasn't a dream," said G uncomfortably. Hayato first blinked his eyes in confusion and then, realization hit him.

"You mean…You…I…mum…not a dream?" stuttered Hayato, his fingers pointing from G to himself.

"You heard it right. In fact, you fainted after that," said G with a smirk on his face as he remembered the priceless expression Hayato had a few minutes ago.

"This is so messed up. I don't even know where to start asking!" growled Hayato as he rubbed his head tiredly. His brain was running around in circles. Without any direction to go, he glared at G accusingly.

Silence filled the room as the two of them glared at each other. With a heavy sigh, G ran his fingers through his hair and folded his arms.

"You're my son," announced G, red blooming over his face even though he tried his hardest to suppress his embarrassment. "And I know that it's hard and—" continued G before he was cut off by a furious looking Hayato.

"OF COURSE IT'S HARD! YOU CAN'T JUST GO UP TO AN INJURED PERSON AND SAY 'HEY, I'M YOUR LONG LOST FATHER!' Tch! I DON'T BELIEVE ANY OF THIS!" yelled Hayato angrily, his fist clenched. A vein twitched in G's head but he ignored the many insults that were running around in his head.

"Believe or not, I am," replied G calmly. "If you still won't believe, take a look at this photo that poison scorpion gave me," continued the man as he reached for his pocket and pulled out a photo. With cautious eyes, Hayato snatched it away.

"T-This is…" gasped Hayato, his hands trembling. The photo showed a woman carrying a baby wrapped up in many bundles. The woman was smiling joyously, her eyes filled with happy tears as she proudly showed her newborn to the camera. "Mom…" whispered Hayato, his fingers touching his mother's face with a look of longing in his eyes.

"Take a look at the back," called G, his arms folded even more. Hayato flipped the photo over and was surprised to see his mother's neat handwriting behind. The note read:

_I hope you'll be able to meet your son Hayato one day, G_

_Lavina._

"How the h*** did elder sister get a hold on this picture?" asked Hayato.

"She told me she went back to the house the both of you stayed in and went through your mother's room. She was surprised to see this photo and soon realized that the both of you were not real siblings. When we came back from the Milliefiore base, she gave me this photo," replied G gruffly, his eyes admiring the plain metal walls of the base.

"This is unbelievable…" muttered Hayato.

"I know what you mean…"

"WHY DO I HAVE TO BE RELATED TO AN IDIOT LIKE YOU?" yelled Hayato dramatically.

"I—WHAT WAS THAT YOU IDIOT? WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I'M HAPPY TO HAVE A SON LIKE YOU?" yelled G back.

"The worst part is that I only inherited mum's eyes and hair colour. Other than that, I look just like you!" gasped Hayato in horror. G was seeing red. Lifting his fist, he whacked his son not too gently on the head, causing the teen to yelp in pain.

"STOP HURTING THE INJURED ALREADY! YOU JERK OF A FATHER!"

"YOU JERK OF A SON!"

Both father and son glared at each other, electrical sparks flying all around them. Uri sighed and licked his paws. Sometimes these two acted like kids.

"Why didn't you look for her?" asked Hayato suddenly, his voice going quiet.

"Huh?"

"Mum. Why didn't you look for her?" repeated Hayato as he twiddled his fingers, eyes looking down. G's face turned gentle as he got up and patted Hayato on the head harshly, causing the teen to growl.

"I did. I tried but failed numerous times. Your mother unfortunately had a talent in hiding away from the world. Once she decided on something, she would carry out her decision till the very end. I bet you were on her mind at that time," said G comfortingly. He took the photo from Hayato and examined it. How he missed that face. "But believe me, if I had the chance, I would have brought her back here along with you if I could that time instead of letting her run off like that…" sighed G. Hayato kept silent.

"Mom mentioned about you once."

Surprise flooded G's face as he looked at his son. "What?"

Hayato scratched his chin. "Now that I think about it, she once told me that my father had this weird tattoo on his face when they were younger. She even said he was a great shooter and a great man. I thought it was strange seeing that the dad I knew never had a tattoo and didn't even know how to hold a gun properly and brushed it away thinking she was probably telling me another story," said Hayato gruffly.

G smiled and chuckled to himself, causing Hayato to turn red.

"Tch! This doesn't change anything though! You're still an idiot!" growled Hayato obnoxiously. A vein twitched in G's head again.

"And you are the worst son in the world," replied G childishly.

"Glad to be one!" retorted Hayato with a smirk. G sighed and ruffled Hayato's hair.

"I'm glad to finally meet you though, Hayato," said G with a smile. Hayato looked away, his arms folded.

"Me too…" muttered the teen in reply.

"You're still in big trouble for breaking into the Milliefiore base though…" said G, a dark aura surrounding him.

"Crap…"

**SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE BASE**

"I'm going to arrest you."

"Go ahead and try."

The sound of metal echoed throughout the Vongola base as the two cloud guardians collided with one another, Alaude with his handcuffs and Kyoya with the metal pole of his IV drop. Kyoya glared murderously at Alaude and jumped back, ignoring the pleas his body was sending to him.

"Kyoya, stand down. Your body needs to rest," called Alaude from a distance as he watched his son wince at the pain, IV stand in hand.

"No. I won't stop till I bite you to death!" growled Kyoya angrily. With a quick movement, he charged again and swung the metal stand at his father who dodged neatly. Kyoya growled. He wasn't used to using metal sticks but seeing that his beloved tonfa's were destroyed, this was the only option.

"Don't make me handcuff you to the hospital bed," growled Alaude coldly.

"Go ahead and try," quoted Kyoya with a smirk on his face. Both father and son collided with one another again.

"People like you should get arrested!" growled Kyoya coldly, dodging his father's attack as he did. He swung the metal stand again, nearly hitting Alaude's head.

"Kyoya, that woman isn't your mother," said Alaude coldly. Kyoya's eyes narrowed in confusion before becoming cold once again. He winced again as a wave of pain hit him. Alaude seeing that this was his only chance to prevent Kyoya from getting himself from getting more injured moved forward and with a click, arrested his son who cussed inwardly and glared at his father, his eyes filled with ice cold hatred.

"I'll just say this once. The woman you saw from your memory a few years ago was your real mother's twin sister. They too had been expecting a son but he died during childbirth, thus passing the curse on to you. At that time, your real mother had died from giving birth to you and you were taken in by those herbivores. The name 'Hibari Kyoya' was supposed to be given to your cousin but was passed on to you. You are my son," said Alaude, giving one of the longest speeches in his life. Kyoya arched his eyebrow and looked away.

Alaude loosened his grip on Kyoya, allowing the boy to slump against the wall. Truth be told, Alaude had been surprised to find out that Kyoya had been his blood-related son. Being one who loved to follow the rules, Alaude had been debating to throw himself in jail for having a child even though he wasn't married.

Though if Kyoya's mother was still alive, he would have definitely married her. What a dilemma.

"What was she like?" asked Kyoya, breaking the silence that had fallen between the two of them.

Alaude's cold eyes turned slightly warmer. "She was headstrong, stubborn, a little annoying and was an interesting creature. She was the only woman who managed to beat me in hand to hand combat," replied the skylark.

Kyoya struggled to get up. "Why didn't you take care of her?" asked the teen in a cold voice, eyes boring into his father's.

"She soon found out that I was involved in the mafia and disappeared. My guess is that she was already carrying you inside her womb and wanted to prevent harm from reaching you," replied Alaude calmly.

"You should still get arrested for having an affair…" growled Kyoya accusingly.

"…"

**VONGOLA BASE MAIN LIVING ROOM**

"Why does everyone look like they just died?" asked G with an arched eyebrow as he walked into the living room with Hayato. The look on everyone's faces spelt doom, stress and many others all with the same meaning which was doom.

"Byakuran gave us a little call," muttered Cozart, his eyes narrowing angrily.

"Byakuran?"

"Yes him. He challenged the Vongola to a game next week," continued Asari, his face serious.

"A game? What game?"

"A game called Choice. It's a fight for the Tri-Ni-Sette. The winner takes it all, in other words a game we cannot lose," said Giotto, his eyes grim. He looked at his right-hand man.

"What the h***? And you accepted it?" asked G in disbelief.

"There was no choice."

"What do you mean no choice? You could have just said no!" argued G.

"Daemon would have killed us," replied Knuckle with a pained look on his face.

"Why the h*** would he?" snapped G.

"Elena is being used as bait. If we don't turn up, the town she's currently in would get blown to pieces," replied Giotto calmly.

"D*** it!" cussed G. Elena had volunteered graciously (much to Daemon's distress) that she would act as the outside eyes for the Vongola. Ever since they moved into the underground base, Elena had provided them all sorts of information to Alaude that allowed them to survive for so long. How did Byakuran know where she was?

"Mother…" muttered Chrome as she bit her lip. Mukuro patted her comfortingly.

"Where's Uncle Daemon now hah?" asked Hayato, his eyes scanning the room.

"He stormed out of the room after hearing the news. If I'm right, he's currently releasing steam in one of the poor training halls. Ah, I think that would be him," said Dino as a loud explosion filled the base.

"Why can't we just send one of us to help her?" asked G. Giotto shook his head.

"Ushishishi! Byakuran told us that if we took one step out wherever we are, he would blow the place up immediately. Our only option is to participate in Choice," chuckled Bel easily. Being one of the Varia, nothing ever bothered him. Xanxus yawned.

"The worst part is that it seems like the Funeral Wreath we destroyed in the base were fakes," sighed Cozart in exasperation.

"What?" asked Hayato in surprise. Takeshi nodded his head grimly. Their efforts had been wasted after all.

"Byakuran's a snake…"

"This is getting from bad to worst…" sighed G in exasperation. "What is this Choice?"

"Choice consists of two parts. A coin will be tossed to determine the type of Choice used. The first is merely a game where two teams divide their group into two, one consisting of those who would fight and the other, the bystanders who will just watch the whole thing from a screen. Before the game, the coin will be tossed and the winner will get to choose the place where they'll be fighting. Both teams have to have the same amount of participants or they'll be eliminated," said Shoichi out of the blue. His face was pale and he was clutching his stomach. Everyone looked at him.

"The game starts when the two teams have chosen the elements that will represent them along with two mechanics. One of them will be chosen as 'the target' and the team whose 'target' is killed off wins the game. Basically, it's very brutal," said Shoichi worriedly.

"What about the second part of Choice?" asked Giotto curiously. Shoichi bit his lip.

"The second part of Choice is worst then the first. In the second one, two elements of each team will be chosen and placed in the ring. Like the first, everyone else will become the bystanders and are not allowed to do anything at all. Once in the arena, the two groups will have to fend off a large group of Mosca's while trying to defeat each other," said Shoichi with his eyes closed.

"That doesn't sound bad…" said Julie with hope in his voice.

"I wasn't done explain yet, I'm afraid. During the match, there is a time limit of 60 minutes. Once the timer stops, the team who fails to destroy the most Mosca will be eliminated or in Byakuran's case, killed by King Mosca. It is a game where stamina and power are greatly needed," finished Shoichi worriedly.

"We're doomed," said Julie hopelessly, earning a smack from Adelheid.

"I remember having this great urge to strangle Spanner while fighting the Mosca's in the drainage system…" muttered Enma. Spanner grinned sheepishly.

"That wouldn't be too bad though…The Mosca's can be frozen by my technique…" stated Giotto thoughtfully. Shoichi shook his head.

"That's true, Primo but in the game of Choice, the participants have to spin a roulette to determine the fighters. It would not necessary mean that you'd be chosen…" said Shoichi worriedly.

"This screams bad no matter how you look at it…" muttered G as he rubbed his head. Everyone else nodded.

"Then what are all of you still standing here for?" came Alaude's cold voice from the doorway. "All of you don't stand a chance to destroy that herbivore by standing around like that. This is what weaklings do…" growled the skylark menacingly. Having heard most of the conversation in the room, he had a good look at the picture and stalked off.

"He's right. We won't solve anything like this. As much as we all hate it, we're going to have to go through training. Come on, we've got no more time to waste!" said Giotto in his boss-like voice. His guardians nodded.

"THAT'S RIGHT, PRIMO! WHO CARES WHAT GETS EXTREMELY THROWN IN OUR WAY? LET'S DO OUR BEST TO DEATH!" roared Knuckle eagerly. "COME RYOHEI! 10000 PUSH-UP'S IT IS!" yelled the man before running off with his nephew behind.

"Wait for Mother Lussuria! Maa maa!" cried Lussuria who was right on their heels.

"It's time we trained side by side again, eh Takeshi?" grinned Asari, katana in hand. Jirou barked in agreement and wagged its tail.

Takeshi laughed. "That's right, dad! Let's go!" cheered the teen, his katana in hand as well. "Come on Hayato!" laughed the teen, pulling his brother by the arm as he did.

"Let go of me you idiot!"

"VOIIII! WAIT FOR ME! IT'S TIME I KILLED THE BOTH OF YOU SCUM AGAIN!" roared Squalo, his sword-hand swinging wildly, missing Xanxus's head by an inch.

"D*** trash…" growled the Varia boss.

"Ushishishi…looks like the prince will see through this one!" chuckled Bel easily.

"Primo! Lambo fainted again!" cried Lampo dramatically as he slumped depressingly in front of his boss. "He woke up, looked at me, muttered 'Father' and fainted again. What do I do?" asked the Lightning Guardian piteously.

Giotto chuckled. "Give him time, Lampo. It's not easy for him to digest this piece of information that easily."

"But Hayato and Kyoya took the news perfectly fine!"

"Lambo is a special case."

"Either that or he just can't get over the fact that his father is an idiot," said G calmly.

"…"

"There you are cousin! Come! Let us light up the hall with our lightning for the boss to see!" cheered Levi happily as he grabbed Lampo's arm and dragged him to the training halls.

"Help me!" cried Lampo, fake tears streaming down his face.

"Hayato took the news well?" asked Giotto with a small smile on his face. G grinned.

"Yeah. Good thing too. He's more matured than I thought he would be," admitted G.

"That's good to hear…" mused the Vongola boss. Deep down, he would have also wanted to share the fact that they were related to Tsuna but it was impossible to do so.

"Kufufu…it looks like everyone else is going to train soon, Nagi. Let us go too…" chuckled Mukuro.

"But brother…you're in no condition to fight…" Chrome pointed out. Mukuro chuckled.

"No worries Chrome. I have a way of training…"

As Giotto watched everyone pile out of the room, a sudden thought appeared in his mind and he turned to Shoichi who was having a silent discussion with Spanner.

"Shoichi, how did you know about Choice?" asked Giotto curiously. Shoichi gulped.

"I was about to ask that. I remember Genkishi telling me to ask you about something. How do you know so much?" asked G suspiciously. Spanner looked away.

Shoichi bit his lip and took a deep breath. "Primo, G-san, first off, please don't think of me as a traitor. My main goal is to stop Byakuran from acquiring the 73 policy just like all of you. Me and Spanner both have no intentions of joining him," said Shoichi.

"Why—" started Giotto before he was cut off by Shoichi.

"Please wait, Primo-san. I think it's about time I told you something very important," said the boy nervously. Giotto and G looked at him in confusion. Even Xanxus opened his eyes, listening intently to the conversation.

"Truth is, Byakuran is our—" Shoichi pointed at him and Spanner "—childhood friend and it is my fault all these have happened," confessed the young boy guiltily.

Giotto stared at him, a thousand questions running through his head. What was this boy saying?

**SOMEWHERE IN ITALY**

"_Uni, mama has to go now but don't worry, I'll come back soon, alright?" said Aria gently as she picked up her 1 year old daughter and kissed her on the forehead. Uni laughed and did the same to her mother. _

"_Goodbye, Mama! Uni will miss you!" called Uni cutely as her mother smiled and placed her daughter back onto the ground._

"_I trust you to take care of her, Reborn," said Aria with a smile on her face, her eyes looking expectantly at the Sun Arcobaleno who grinned cheekily. _

"_Don't worry about it, Aria. Just go back to your family already. I'm sure Gamma's tearing his hair from his head at your disappearance now. Uni will be fine, isn't that right, Uni?" asked Reborn happily. The little girl laughed. _

"_That's right, Uncle Reborn! Don't worry, Mama! Uni will be a good girl and wait for Mama here!" called Uni sweetly, her smile warming her mother's heart. Aria laughed and nodded._

"_Until then, Uni, Reborn! Uni, don't forget to smile everyday!" called Aria as she waved and walked away. _

"_I love you, Mama! Come back soon!" called Uni happily. _

The sound of the sea filled Uni's ears as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, something she hastily wiped away. "Mother…" sighed the young girl sadly. She reached for her sky pacifier and held it tightly.

"Ah Uni-sama! Thou are finally awake! I was about to wake thou up!" said Basil's cheerful voice as he poked his head out from the thick foliage near the beach. Uni released her pacifier and smiled at Basil.

"I'm sorry, Basil-san," apologized the sky Arcobaleno guiltily. Basil shook his head happily.

"No need to worry, Uni-sama. I was just doing my job! I understand how tired thou are!" laughed Basil as he hooked his weapon onto his belt and checked for his box weapon.

"Thank you so much for accepting Uncle Reborn's request to protect me. I am very grateful!" said Uni with a bow.

Basil turned red and bowed as well. "It was a pleasure! Uni-sama is so nice! I should be thankful!" cried Basil politely. Uni laughed.

"It is about time we be off!" said Basil happily. Uni nodded and smiled.

"That's right. We've got to meet up with him soon or it something bad could happen," said Uni with a sad look on her face. It seemed like everyone was just out to kill. Basil nodded grimly.

"And hopefully, we shalt get to meet Vongola Primo soon," said Basil thoughtfully.

"Gamma, Nozaru, Tozaru…" whispered Uni with a gentle expression on her face. How she missed all of them.

The question was; would they miss her when she was gone?

**End. That was all I could think off for this chapter. Yeah, there are loads of questions in the air but I promise to answer them and all of the other questions later on. I'm so sorry if this chapter was kinda boring. Please forgive me. **

**Anyway, the Choice chapters are coming on next! I hope everything goes fine. Until then, ciao ciao! :D**


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu! Hey there everyone! Alright, I've reached my 400****th**** review thanks to all you awesome people out there! Come here and let me hug you guys!XD **

**And so, the Choice battle starts! (meaning I have to come up with more fight scenes. T.T) Still, I'll give it my best shot to meet all of your expectations!:DDD**

**Here's Chapter 24!**

Chapter 24: Choice & The Unexpected

**SOMEWHERE IN ITALY**

"Byakuran!" yelled a young girl with long blue hair as she flung open her arms and ran towards the said name, pulling him into a tight embrace. "What took you so long to call us?" whined the girl, her mouth arranged into a pout.

Byakuran who had been gazing out his window thoughtfully chuckled and patted her gently on her head. "Long time no see, Bluebell. I didn't call all of you earlier because I lost my phone and had no forms of communication whatsoever. So sorry~!" cheered the man unapologetically.

"Boo Byakuran!" whined Bluebell again. Byakuran laughed.

"Don't be upset, Bluebell. Here! I bought a whole bunch of marshmallows!" said Byakuran as he whipped out what looked like countless packets of the said food and handed them over to Bluebell who took them without a word and started helping herself.

Pretty soon, the both of them were stuffing themselves with marshmallows.

"Byakuran-sama," greeted Kikyo politely as he and the remaining Funeral Wreaths bowed down respectfully in front of Byakuran, their eyes filled with excitement.

"Yo, everyone. How were things back in Japan?" asked Byakuran with a grin on his face, his hands indicating his comrades to stand up.

"Just as you asked, Byakuran-sama. We have successfully destroyed most of the mafiaso who ran there when you destroyed their family," replied Kikyo with an entertained grin on his face.

"Didn't even break a sweat, idjit!" chuckled Zakuro happily.

"Bubu was scared…" muttered Daisy creepily.

"…"

"Oh? That's good to hear then! Great job! As a reward, here!" cheered Byakuran again as he held out a bagful of junk food, something his comrades accepted gratefully despite their low tolerance for junk food.

"Byakuran-sama if I may ask, what happened to the base here? I heard that the Vongola broke in," asked Kikyo curiously.

"Hm? The Vongola? Oh right! They did break in a week ago! Destroyed half of the base too! Good thing only the pawns were taken out," replied Byakuran with a sadistic smile on his face. "Too bad they escaped though."

"Boo Byakuran! How could you let them escape?"

"Now, now, Bluebell. I didn't let them escape. I just thought that it would have been better if we went all out in the upcoming Choice!"

"Are you hurt anywhere, Byakuran-sama, idjit?" asked Zakuro. Byakuran smiled and shook his head.

"Bubu wants to know about t-the s-sky Arcobaleno a-and t-the Vongola b-b-boy…" stammered Daisy nervously, his torn and tattered bunny hanging loosely in his arms.

"Well then tell Bubu that I will look for Uni-chan after we win the match against the Vongola. That way I'll be able to get my hands on the Vongola rings and the sky and sun Arcobaleno pacifiers in no time. After activating the Tri-Ni-Sette, I will look for the body of Vongola Primo's son to locate the location of the Shimon rings and destroy them! When it is all over, I'll be right here eating more marshmallows!" said Byakuran in a happy-go-lucky tone.

"But how will you be able to awaken the Tri-Ni-Sette?" asked Bluebell with interest. Byakuran scratched his head and shrugged.

"Hm…no idea. I guess all I have to do is place them together and they'll resonate with one another. Anyway let's worry about all these later!" said Byakuran optimistically.

"That was a wonderful plan, Byakuran-sama! Please allow us to help you achieve it!" cried Zakuro with tears in his eyes.

"B-Bubu a-agrees!" stammered Daisy happily.

"O-ho? We swear to help you accomplish your dream!" vowed Kikyo excitedly.

"…."

"Don't let the d*** Vongola off again of I'll get mad! Boo Byakuran!" said Bluebell.

Byakuran chuckled and threw a marshmallow into his mouth. Choice would begin tomorrow. The 7 Mare rings and the 7 Vongola rings were going to clash and after that, the 7 pacifiers too would be in his hands.

But before that Byakuran whipped out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Cervello-chan? Sorry to disturb you when you're healing but could you please do me a favor?" asked the man in a sweet tone. The 6 funeral wreaths looked at him with arched eyebrows, not knowing what he was doing.

"Could you please give orders to eliminate the town where Dae-chan's beloved is at the moment? I have no use of her any longer since Primo and his guardians answered my challenge. Thank you~~!" sang the man before slamming his phone shut, a smile on his face.

Uni was right to fear him in the future.

**IN THE VONGOLA BASE**

"All right, everyone! We'll be facing the Milliefiore tomorrow so rest well tonight and give it all your best tomorrow!" said Giotto in his boss-like voice, an air of seriousness surrounding him as he looked at his guardians, Shimon, Chiavarone, Varia and kids who were all tired from the one week of non-stop training.

"VOIIIIIIIIII! IT'S NOT LIKE WE DON'T KNOW THAT!" roared Squalo who had enough energy to swing his sword at Giotto.

"Shut up trash!" growled Xanxus who was sitting comfortably on his armchair with Levi dutifully fanning his beloved boss.

"Anyway! We can't lose tomorrow no matter what understand? Especially since we have a lot at stake here!" said Giotto before Squalo could start another round of verbal abuse with Xanxus.

"Nufufu…anyone who is responsible for any sort of loss tomorrow will face death…." chuckled Daemon eerily, an evil and dark aura surrounding him. He glared at everyone in the room, causing them (minus the Cloud and the Varia boss) to gulp.

Giotto nodded his head and looked at Shoichi with expectant eyes. "Shoichi, anything else you want to add?"

Shoichi gulped, cleared his throat and looked at everyone, his face flustered. "Everyone, please remember to go along with what we planned in the past few days. Remember, Byakuran won't give second chances so losing is and cannot be an option!" said Shoichi seriously. He clutched his stomach nervously.

"Anyway, the people you will all go up against are incredibly strong and will not hesitate to bring you down, man or woman so please don't show them mercy," added Spanner unexpectedly.

"I won't have it any other way…" said Alaude with a cold smirk on his face, his fingers dangling his handcuffs. Every fibre of his body itched with excitement.

"Ushishishi! The prince is excited as well…" chuckled Bel.

"EXTREME FIGHT!" roared Knuckle, his eyes burning with passion. Even Asari looked serious.

Shoichi grinned sheepishly and looked at his watch. "It'd be better if everyone went to bed early. We don't want you guess to fall asleep tomorrow. Good night everyone!" said Shoichi politely. With a nod, everyone slowly piled out of the room.

"P-Primo…" whined Lampo as he tapped on his boss's shoulder and sighed.

"Lampo? What's wrong? You look…sad," pointed Giotto. Sad was an understatement. Lampo's face was one of dejection and looked like a man who had been crying all his life.

"Lambo has been running away from me for the past one week!" said Lampo, dramatic tears streaming down his face.

"One week? That long?" asked Giotto in surprise. Lampo nodded.

"He's been doing this for one week already! Whenever he sees me during meals or training, he runs out like a cheetah! Since we share the same room, he'd wait for me to fall asleep before entering and even wakes up an hour earlier than me!" sobbed the Lightning guardian in despair.

Giotto eyed him with pity in his eyes. "Come on Lampo! It's not that bad! I mean, Lambo needs time to get used to the fact that well you are his father," said Giotto. Lampo sighed.

"Easy for you to say! Look at pinky hair and his son—" Lampo pointed at G and Hayato who were walking towards their room, arguing over trivial matters "—they look like they're getting along well! Even Alaude and Kyoya—" Lampo pointed at said people who were talking to one another in low voices "—seem to have worked things out already!" sniffed Lampo.

Giotto blinked and wrecked his brain for a good comeback. To be honest, he had no idea what to say as he had never experienced something like this before. Scratching his chin, Giotto decided to go with 'that' method.

"Don't worry, Lampo. I'll talk to Lambo later. Maybe I'll figure out why he's so…scared," said Giotto with a warm smile.

Lampo's eyes widened with expectation. "R-Really Primo?" asked the man. Giotto nodded.

"Go and rest, Lampo. You'll need your energy tomorrow," advised Giotto as he patted his Lightning guardian. Lampo nodded and with a wave, he left, leaving Giotto alone.

"As expected of Primo-san. You really are like the Sky that harmonizes all the elements…Normal people would have scolded Lampo for doing something like that…" said Shoichi with a wary smile, his arms filled with papers.

"I can't help it. Lampo is like that; immature yet someone I would trust with my life. I guess it would have been the same with Lambo in Tsuna's eyes," replied Giotto politely.

Shoichi nodded with agreement. "That's right…Sawada was such a nice person. He always told me and Spanner stories about his family," said Shoichi with a smile. Giotto's eyes widened with surprise.

"What did he say?"

"He was always entertaining us about how Hayato would bomb the house and get in trouble with G, how Knuckle and Ryohei would drag him for crazy work outs, how Takeshi and Asari nearly sliced his head off with the katana, how Lampo and Lambo would buy cakes for all you guys, how Kyoya, Mukuro, Daemon and Alaude would get into daily brawls while Chrome tried her best to stop the fights and finally about how he enjoyed spending time with you," said Shoichi, trying his best not to laugh at Giotto's surprise face.

Giotto smiled at what Shoichi said, feeling a slight burden lift from his chest. It was wonderful feeling to know that Tsuna had at least enjoyed his life right before it ended. "Thank you Shoichi. Thank you for helping Tsuna and all of us plan this thing out," said Giotto gratefully.

The smile on Shoichi's face disappeared and in its place was guilt and sadness. "You don't have to thank me, Primo. After all, it's my fault that all these happened…" muttered the latter quietly.

Giotto frowned. He remembered the first time Shoichi had confessed that it was his fault that Byakuran had discovered his ability to wield the Mare ring and the power of the Tri-Ni-Sette but had in the end refused to tell them the rest (much to G's annoyance), saying that the time was not right.

"Shoichi, when will you tell us about how it is your fault that Byakuran became like this?" asked Giotto.

The young teen bit his lip and thought hard. Looking up at Giotto, he said "Until Uni-chan has been discovered and is safe with us. Forgive me, Primo-san. Goodnight."

With that, Shoichi bowed once and left the room, his face disturbed.

**WITH GIOTTO**

"So this is what Lampo meant by you skulking around eh?" mused Giotto as he looked at the young teen who had been peeking from behind a wall, causing the latter to jump and nearly fall.

"U-U-Uncle G-Giotto! What a p-pleasant surprise! W-Well, I-I have to g-go! S-See you!" yelled Lambo with an awkward salute. Unfortunately for him, before he could take off again, Giotto had placed his hand not too gently on his shoulder and was eyeing him questioningly.

"Lampo told me about your amazing 'one week disappearing act'. What's wrong, Lambo?" asked Giotto kindly.

"W-Wrong? Nothing's w-wrong! D-Dad I mean Lampo i-is saying n-nonsense! I haven't been disappearing!" defended Lambo, beads of cold sweat dripping down his face.

"Lambo, you suck at lying. I can tell remember?" said Giotto as he pointed at his head. Lambo sighed.

"Just like Brother Tsuna…"

"Lambo, are you disgusted with having Lampo as your biological father?" asked Giotto curiously.

Lambo shook his head and sat down on the floor cross legged. "That's not it, Uncle Giotto. It's just that…for years I've thought of who my real father was. 2 years ago, I went back to the old Bovino headquarters and did a rummage through the boss's stuff. While I was going through, I found a note my mother wrote to my father years ago saying that she was going to go into labor soon and had a feeling she was not going to make it. The discovery of the letter made me happy. My real father was alive and out there somewhere. Even though my grandfather had told me numerous stories about how my father was a brat and that he abandoned my mother, I still wanted to meet him."

"When I found out that I _had _been living with my real father for 8 years now, I was really surprised and suddenly, I didn't know what to feel anymore. Was I happy that I had finally found him or angry that he had abandoned me and my mother for so long? That's why I decided that avoiding was the best option!" declared Lambo suddenly, making Giotto speechless. Both of them kept silent, not knowing what to say.

"Uncle Giotto, what do you think I should do?" asked the young teen quietly after a few minutes. Giotto continued to be silent, not knowing what to say.

Finally, Giotto cleared his throat and scratched his head awkwardly. "I honestly don't know what to say to you, Lambo but let me tell you this. Lampo didn't abandon you or your mother—" Lambo looked at Giotto with surprise and question in his eyes "—actually, he had no idea your mother was pregnant," said Giotto with a nod of his head, sighing at his guardian.

"Even though Lampo can be a brat, a lazy a**, an idiot and a spoilt child sometimes, I can tell (I think) that he cares a lot about you. I mean, whenever your birthday comes around, he'd be the first to get your present which is something worth admiring since he can't remember anyone else's birthday besides his own," continued Giotto with a smile. "He even knows what your favorite cake flavors are."

Lambo's eyes widened. "Really?" asked the boy. Giotto nodded.

"He even promised to visit your mother and grandfather's grave after this whole thing ended," said Giotto, making a mental note to remind Lampo that he made such a promise to Lambo. "And besides, I can tell that you look up to Lampo a lot even though it's not advisable," added Giotto cheerfully.

"Heh. Dad was right, Uncle Giotto. We can't hide things from you…" mused Lambo as he stood up and did a thumbs up.

Giotto smiled. "I think you and Lampo should talk things out. He's been really worried about you," said Giotto, feeling satisfied with himself. Lambo sighed and nodded.

"Alright, I will. Good night Uncle Giotto. Good luck for tomorrow!" called Lambo as he strolled down the corridors of the base and towards to his room.

Giotto watched his nephew open the door only to be greeted by a loud "THERE YOU ARE LAMBO!" and witnessed his nephew get pulled in by Lampo, the door shutting behind them.

With a couple of sweat dripping comically down his face, Giotto shook his head and walked back to his own room, shoulders slumped.

Tomorrow was the day where all their training had to pay off or they would suffer the consequences for life.

**THE NEXT DAY**

"Rings?"

"Checked!"

"Box Weapons?"

"Checked!"

"Animal Rings?"

"Checked!"

"Weapons?"

"Shoichi, who the h*** would leave for a battle without a weapon?"

"R-Right. My bad. Anyway, is everyone here?" asked the mechanic nervously as he did a headcount.

"Shoichi, I know you're nervous and all but you do know that this is the 20th headcount you're doing, right?" said Spanner who had been checking all of the electronic devices. Everyone snickered, causing the latter to turn bright red.

"Primo-san, your turn…"

Giotto nodded and turned to everyone gathered in the main hallway. The group consisted of the Varia, the Shimon family (they had insisted on coming), the Vongola guardians and the younger generation of the Vongola. All of them were dressed in formal clothing which consisted of a suit and tie for the guys and a skirt and blouse for the females.

"All right, I hope all of you slept well last night because today is the day we finally go face to face with the Milliefiore. If we lose this fight, we lose everything. Remember, follow whatever Shoichi and Spanner have planned out and fight hard!" said Giotto encouragingly as he looked around. As his eyes fell on Lampo's face, he was relieved to see that he seemed more at ease. It looked like everything worked out well the night before.

"And defeat that b****** Byakuran too!" added G helpfully.

"GUARHHH! WE'LL EXTREMELY SHOW THEM THE POWER OF THE VONGOLA!" roared Knuckle, his fist clenched tightly.

"And the Shigure Soen Ryu technique!" cheered Asari as he winked at Takeshi who grinned in reply.

"I'll arrest them," growled Alaude

"Nufufu…gorge out their intestines…" added Daemon

"Hide," stated Lampo nervously.

"VOIIII! KNOCK THEIR BLOCKS OUT!" roared Squalo.

"Mother Lussuria will show them the power of real women!" squealed Lussuria.

"You're a man…"

"KILL THEM IN THE END!" roared Koyo.

"Ushishi…has anyone seen Fran?" asked Bel as he looked around. "Oh well, he must have run off," concluded the prince and with a shrug, dropped the subject.

Shoichi smiled nervously and checked his watch. "Alright everyone! It's time to get going!" announced the teen loudly. He nodded at Spanner who opened the door, allowing them to walk outside into the bright sunshine.

"PRIMO! Don't you dare…" panted La Mirch who was being supported by Bianchi and I-PIn. "DON'T YOU DARE LOSE!" roared the woman, her eyes burning with absolute anger. Giotto nodded.

"I won't. I'll get Colonello's murderer for you, Lal," promised Giotto. Lal nodded.

"Hayato, good luck!" called Bianchi who had decided to stay back to take care of the base along with I-Pin, Giannini, Fuuta, Nozaru, Tozaru, Gamma and the Chiavarone family.

"Tch! I'll be fine!" replied Hayato.

"Everyone! Let's go!" called Shoichi who was already in front of the group. With a nod, everyone strode forward, the view of their base disappearing slowly as they walked further.

**A FEW MINUTES LATER**

"We're here. Byakuran-san told us to meet up here. I wonder where he is," muttered Shoichi as the group came to a stop in a large clearing.

Just as the last person stepped on the platform, a bright light filled the area, nearly blinding all of them.

"GOOD MORNING VONGOLA!" boomed Byakuran's voice. Giotto looked up and saw a large hologram of the Milliefiore boss sitting on a chair lazily, his eyes closed and his usual smile in place.

"Byakuran…"

"IT'S NICE THAT ALL OF YOU DIDN'T CHICKEN OUT IN THE END AND CAME TO MY PARTY! ALRIGHT THEN LET US BEGIN! FIRST OFF, PRIMO-CHAN, CHOOSE A CARD!" said Hologram-Byakuran.

"A card?" asked Giotto blurly.

"The card chooses the location of Choice, Giotto-san. In other words, Choice has begun!" said Shoichi seriously, his eyes dark.

"YUP YUP! THAT'S RIGHT, SHOICHI! HERE GOES!" said hologram-Byakuran and with a snap of his long fingers, Giotto found himself surrounded by millions of weird looking cards, all of them bearing different types of colors on their back.

With a determined look on his face, Giotto held out his hand and grabbed a random card. Almost immediately, all the other cards disappeared into nothingness and the card he had just pulled started glowing.

"HM? CONGRATULATIONS, PRIMO-CHAN! YOU'VE PICKED THE 'MIST CARD'! YOU WILL NOW BE TRANSPORTED TO THE ARENA WHERE WE ARE ALREADY WAITING! HOLD ON TIGHT!" boomed Byakuran's voice.

"T-Transported? H—" started Giotto before a bright light surrounded them and in a blink of an eye, they had arrived at their destination.

Their surroundings were nothing like they had expected. Instead of a battle ring (like how Giotto had pictured it), they were surrounded by greenery. As Giotto and everyone else looked around, they saw what looked like a small abandoned town where the buildings were crumbling into dust. The whole area was surrounded by cloudy mist.

'_It really fits the Mist…' _thought Giotto as he looked around. Mutters were heard from everyone else as they too examined their surroundings. Giotto looked forward with a frown on his face. His Hyper Intuition told him that Choice was about to start.

"Welcome, Primo-chan and everyone else! Welcome to Choice!" greeted Byakuran happily as he stepped out of the Mist, followed by the six funeral wreaths who glared hatefully at the Vongola.

"We meet again, Byakuran," said Giotto with a slight nod, his eyes wary. His guardians tensed and returned the glares.

"Hm? So you came, Shimon Cozart, the proud wielder of the Earth Shimon ring which was said to disappear a long time ago. Interesting…" mused Byakuran.

"Looks like Daemon Spade showed up as well, Byakuran-sama, Torikabuto. O-ho," said Kikyo evily. "It would be lovely to make him fall in front of us in total defeat hm?"

"Nufufu…unlike you weaklings, I don't fall easily…" chuckled Daemon eerily, the dark aura around him widening.

"O-ho?"

"Now, now, Kikyo! Of course Dae-chan is here! He came because he couldn't leave his beloved alone and he was angry at me for hurting his precious children!" sang Byakuran. The comment hit Daemon in the nerve and pretty soon, he was seeing red.

Yes, at first sight, the funeral wreaths and the Vongola guardians felt like tearing each other apart.

Ignoring the tensed atmosphere between his comrades and the Vongola, Byakuran smiled and nodded happily. "I'm so glad you made it today, Primo-chan! If you didn't, the consequences would have been…terrible," smirked the young boss tauntingly.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, Byakuran. Shall we begin?" asked Giotto calmly, his voice soothing yet dangerous. Kikyo eyed him with interest.

Byakuran nodded and popped open a marshmallow packet. "Hm I agree with you, Primo-chan! The earlier we start the better! Alright then, let's begin!" said Byakuran as he reached for his pocket and pulled out what looked like a gold coin. The number '1' was written on the top while the number '2' was written on the other side.

"I'm sure Sho-chan has explained the ways of Choice. We'll start with the choosing of Choice. To be far, I invited these beautiful ladies—" Byakuran pointed to the two Cervello women who appeared out of nowhere and were approaching in quickly "—and decided they would flip the coin for us!" cheered Byakuran happily. "Cervello-chan!" greeted Byakuran as he threw the coin over to one of the women who caught it easily.

"Welcome, Vongola Primo, Byakuran Gesso and everyone else," greeted one of the women politely.

"Today, we'll be judging the game of Choice that was created by Irie Shoichi. Today's game was planned by Byakuran Gesso and was accepted by Vongola Primo," continued the other woman. Shoichi gulped as everyone looked at him with surprise and questioning.

"The prize for today's game is of course, the Tri-Ni-Sette. The winner will walk away with both the Vongola and the Mare rings and the loser will leave empty," said the first woman.

"The rules are simple. Choice consists of 2 parts and a coin—" the second woman held up the gold coin "—is tossed to determine the Choice used."

"After the game is decided, Vongola Primo and Byakuran Gesso will determine the flame users that will participate in the match using this," continued the first woman as she held up a gyro roulette which bore symbols of the types of flames.

"Originally, the rules stated that only 2 players were to be sent from each team—"

"But Byakuran Gesso has decided that 3 players will be allowed on the battlefield. The remaining few will become either bystanders or will be allowed to communicate with the players," said the first woman.

"The remaining few who have decided to merely sit back and watch will be placed in a special room—" the woman pointed towards what looked like two small rooms which were located right outside the abandoned town "—and will be asked to refrain from talking to the players. Any sort of communication here will mean that the team will be disqualified."

"However, those who volunteer to help the players on the battlefield will be led to this—" the woman presented a photo of a room situated right in the middle of the town "—room and will be allowed to communicate freely to their team mates. If any form of damage is placed on these rooms however—"

"—The team who damaged the room will receive a penalty. Only a maximum of 4 people are allowed in this room."

"Any form of rule breaking will result to the disqualification of the team; resulting in automatic victory to the opponent. "

"VOIII! GET ON ALREADY!" roared Squalo impatiently.

"With this, shall we start?" asked the two women together. Byakuran nodded eagerly followed by Giotto who was still memorizing the rules.

With a nod of their heads, the first Cervello woman came forward and held out the coin for everyone to see. She then threw it upwards and held out her hands. As the coin fell back onto her palm, she quickly snapped it shut, causing everyone to wait with held breaths.

"Idjit! Hurry up!" hissed Zakuro impatiently.

"On the count of three. One, two, three!" announced the woman as she opened her hand, revealing the coin.

"Oh no…" muttered Shoichi, his face filled with horror. Everyone else either cussed or gasped in horror.

"O-ho?" mused Kikyo excitedly.

"Spanner, why did you _have _to make those Mosca's again?" asked Enma worriedly.

The number that was presented to them was the number 2.

Luck definitely had packed its bags and abandoned the Vongola that day.

The two Cervello nodded their heads and turned back to the participants.

"It has been decided; the second type of Choice has been determined. With this, we shall read out the rules of the game," said one of the women seriously.

"3 participants of each team will be decided and placed in the battlefield which is that town over there—" she pointed at the abandoned town that was surrounded by Mist "—and will have to defeat as many Mosca's as possible within the 60 minute time limit."

"Of course, you are allowed to take out your opponent as well but in the end, the team which takes out the most Mosca's when the time ends will win the game—"

"—while the loser will be eliminated permanently by the Mosca King." finished the second woman.

"This is no good. Not good at all!" gulped Lampo nervously.

"Now. Let us determine the participants of Choice!" announced the first Cervello as she pulled out the gyro roulette and motioned for Giotto and Byakuran to approach.

"Each boss has to place their hands on the roulette and at the word 'Choice', the roulette will spin and determine the players," said the woman once Giotto and Byakuran arrived. Glancing at each other, the two mafia don's did as they were told.

"This is somewhat terrifying, isn't it?" muttered Julie nervously. Adelheid shushed him but her face was deathly pale.

"Don't be lightning, don't be lightning, please don't be lightning…" pleaded Lampo silently.

"Boo Byakuran!" called Bluebell.

"Excited, Primo?" asked Byakuran happily. Giotto kept silent, not wanting to even talk to this man.

"On my mark. One, two go!" yelled the woman.

"Choice!" announced the two bosses'. With a bright flash, the roulette started spinning. As it did, large hologram photo's appeared on the two sides. After what seemed like eternity, the roulette stopped spinning, revealing the participants.

The first Cervello came forward. "And the participants are as shown. Vongola Primo will send out 1 Mist, 1 Cloud and 1 Rain flame holder—"

"—Byakuran Gesso will send out 1 Storm, 1 Cloud and 1 Sun flame holder. Please get ready. Choice will begin in 30 minutes!" announced the Cervello before disappearing.

Giotto looked at his guardians with wide eyes. Who the heck was he going to send?

**SOMEWHERE NEAR THE CHOICE ARENA (UNKNOWN TO EVERYONE ELSE)**

"So it's begun hm? How expected…" mused Reborn as he pushed his fedora down and stretched lazily.

"I sure hope they don't lose…" muttered his companion worriedly. Reborn snorted.

"Lose or win, that won't even be possible. After all, Uni is arriving soon. Besides, even if they were to lose, my job is to cause some sort of a disturbance to prevent that from happening. Looks like the Vongola absolutely cannot lose this…" sighed Reborn lazily as he watched everything from Leon who had transformed into a screen.

"But still…Papa and everyone else has a tendency of getting into loads of trouble. This is making me nervous," muttered his companion again.

Reborn sighed and pushed his fedora back up. "You're still the same as always. Even in a tensed situation like this, you can still worry about them hm?" asked Reborn with a shake of his head. His companion chuckled.

"Anyway, don't you have more important things to attend to? I heard that the Shimon boss ring was finally discovered in one of the forests here. Aren't you supposed to look for it?" asked Reborn with an arched eyebrow. "Since you've already found the rest of the Shimon rings, isn't it time you looked for the most important part of the collection?"

"I'll go as soon as Uni gets here. I wouldn't miss this fight for the world!"

Reborn rubbed his forehead, a small smile appearing on his face. "I taught you well. Family comes first before duty; that's what makes us stronger. But you still have a long way to go," mused the hitman. His companion smiled sheepishly.

"Should I mention that Papa actually taught me that a few years ago?"

Reborn scowled and aimed a gun at his companion, causing him to squeal. "Let me have some credit will you? Sheesh," growled Reborn in annoyance as he lowered his gun.

"Y-Yes, R-Reborn…"

"But still, I wonder how your family will react once they find out that you're still alive, Sawada Tsunayoshi…" chuckled Reborn, a hint of interest lighting up in his features.

**DONE! ALRIGHTY THEN! CHOICE STARTS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Yeah, I finally brought him back. I hope it made you guys happy. : ) **

**Anyway, I'm so sorry for updating so late. Please forgive me *bowing low*. Until next time, CIAO CIAO! XD**


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**CIAOSSU EVERYONE! First off, please forgive me for not updating for so long. Life has been busy lately and I could hardly find time for myself. Please forgive me!**

**Anyway, I would like to say a large THANK YOU, ARIGATOU for your constant reviews and alerts! I love you guys to bits!XDDD And so, here's the next chapter!**

**P.S Did you guys like Tsuna's entrance? ;)**

**P.P.S I've twiddled around with Gingerbread in this chapter! **

Chapter 25: The Start of Choice

**WITH THE MELLIEFIORE**

"Ahhhh! This is ridiculous! B-Byakuran-sama! W-Why? D-Do you n-n-not trust B-Bubu and I-I? W-Why? Why was he chosen instead o-of me?" cried a certain young man with long curly green hair and eyes filled with sorrow you would have thought he was in pain.

The young female with long blue hair frowned and smacked him once on the head, resulting to him crying piteously while rubbing the wound. "Shut up Daisy! Stop bothering Byakuran with your whining! Bluebell doesn't like hearing it! You weren't chosen because Byakuran thought you were weak and nothing more!" snapped the young girl bossily as she tossed a marshmallow into her mouth. Daisy whimpered.

Byakuran chuckled. "Now, now Bluebell-chan. Don't go around degrading your friends. Daisy-chan, I didn't choose you not because you were weak!" said Byakuran calmly, a wide grin on his face.

"T-Then why B-Byakuran-sama? W-Why?"

"Why? To save all my trump cards of course! I can't let the Vongola see all the holders of the Mare rings at one time now can I? Zakuro and Kikyo are asked to go because I thought it was safe to send out only two," replied the young man almost lazily.

"With all respect, Byakuran-sama. Why did you choose this boy though? I thought he had perished in the first fight against the Vongola," asked Kikyo politely, his body bent low. His eyes however eyed a certain young boy with a black wizard's cap which covered his curly orange hair. His eyes which had stars in them appeared dull and distant as he stood rigidly beside Byakuran.

Byakuran toyed with a lock of Gingerbread's hair and smiled. "Kikyo, you disappoint me. I would have thought you knew the truth about Gingerbread now."

"My apologies, Byakuran-sama."

"Hm. No matter. Let me explain. The Gingerbread that failed Arcobaleno took out in the base was merely a clone created by this young boy," said Byakuran happily. "Do you remember the Aquila Family?"

Kikyo nodded. Everyone in the Mafia knew about them. How they originated from a small rural village to becoming one of the most feared Mafia group in Italy. Everyone knew about their thirst for blood and their bloody massacres. Everyone also knew about how they were all suddenly assassinated, one by one. To this day, no one knew who did it. However, what did this have to do with the young boy standing in front of him?

Byakuran smiled once more before patting the boy on the shoulder. "Well, while travelling to a parallel world, I discovered that it was in fact this boy who wiped out the whole family by himself. Upon my return, I soon found out that the Gingerbread of this era was a poor peasant boy who was on the verge of death in the streets. I quickly found and offered him a place in my family, something he agreed to immediately. Needless to say, with all the help from Iris and other well-known scientist, he was able to gather all his material to create all his clones. Quite impressive," finished Byakuran with a wink. Kikyo eyed everyone in the room. All of them seemed awestruck at the tale.

"Participants of Choice. You have another 2 minutes to get yourselves ready. Those not present on the battlefield at the said time will be disqualified, thus automatic victory to the opponent. Thank You," boomed a woman's voice throughout the arena, snapping everyone's attention back.

Zakuro grinned and massaged his arms. "About time too. I'm starving for some meat, idjit!" snickered the man, his eyes filled with enthusiasm. "Let's see what the Vongola are really made off!"

"Byakuran-sama. We promise to retrieve the Vongola rings at all cost! Please rest easy!" vowed Kikyo politely.

"I'm counting on you, Kikyo, Zakuro and of course, Gingerbread-chan! Good luck! If you win, I'll reward you all with marshmallows!" cheered Byakuran happily, tossing a handful of marshmallows in the air. Bluebell merely stuck her tongue out at her comrades.

"Gingerbread-chan. I'm expecting a lot from you today~~~" sang Byakuran easily as he popped another marshmallow in his mouth.

"Of course, Byakuran-sama. I will repay the debt I owe you for that day," replied Gingerbread formally. With a bow, he walked out.

"Bubu says bye…" muttered Daisy dejectedly, slumping onto his chair. Torikabuto patted him awkwardly.

"Well then! Shall we go to the observation hall?" asked Byakuran happily.

**WITH THE VONGOLA**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO!" roared Squalo in pure devastation as Asari revealed a paper in their 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' game.

It all started when the Cervello announced the flame attributes for the game. When all of them entered the main hall for the Vongola, Squalo started arguing with Asari (who merely started laughing easily) to the matter of who was going to go in as the Rain attribute. After minutes of heated discussion, the duo decided to settle the matter with a game of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors', something Squalo was terrible at.

"Well that's that. Asari, it looks like you'll be representing the Vongola," announced Giotto. He gulped and eyes his right-hand man with worried eyes. G merely nodded and shrugged. Asari grinned at Takeshi who faked back a smile before turning his head to Hayato and started talking about trees.

"Alright then, for the Cloud representative…" started Giotto as he looked at both Alaude and Kyoya.

"What are you implying Primo? Do you want me to arrest you for that look of decision in your eyes?" growled Alaude menacingly. "I'll be the one going out on the battlefield," said Alaude as he glanced once at Kyoya with finality in both his eyes and voice. Kyoya glared at his father and stalked off. He knew better than to object Alaude when he used that tone. After all, Kyoya was someone who learned from experiences.

"But I…" started Giotto before he was interrupted by Daemon.

"And I'll be the representative for the Mist. No arguments, Mukuro, Chrome. My hand has been twitching to kill off some Milliefiore scum," said Daemon firmly as he eyed his kids. Chrome bit her lip worriedly while Mukuro looked away in disappointment. How did Daemon know he had wanted to go to the battlefield?

Giotto scratched his head. It was amazing how over-protective his guardians could get when it came to their kids. Ever since Irie Shoichi's discovery, all of them (minus Daemon who had already been over-protective of his kids) started taking their role as fathers more seriously. Sometimes he wondered whether these were the men he had first chosen as his guardians.

"Participants of Choice. You have another 2 minutes to get yourselves ready. Those not present on the battlefield at the said time will be disqualified, thus automatic victory to the opponent. Thank You," boomed the voice.

"Alright everyone. This is our plan. The kids will stay here with Cozart, Knuckle and Lampo and watch the match here while Shoichi, Spanner, G and I will head on over to the observation room. Understand?" said Giotto with a voice filled with authority. Everyone nodded. "Alright then, let's get going!" said Giotto with attempted enthusiasm.

"Good luck dad! Don't let those people kill you!" said Takeshi with a smile as he hugged Asari. Asari laughed and patted his head.

"Don't worry, Takeshi! Everything will be fine! After all, I have the Shigure Soen method you taught me and some tricks up my sleeves," said Asari with a wink. Takeshi laughed and nodded.

"Here dad. I thought you would need Kojirou and Jirou more than I did so here," said Takeshi as he pressed the two animal rings into his father's palm. Asari smiled and ruffled his son's hair.

"Here," said Kyoya in a cold, monotone voice as he practically shoved his animal ring at his father. He then reached for beneath his jacket and pulled out a pair of steel tonfa's, both of them good as new. "Talbot made a new one for me and added some type of new mechanism. I wanted you to try it out for me when you fought those herbivores," said Kyoya boredly.

Alaude arched an eyebrow and slowly accepted the items. "Alright. I'll try out your new tonfa's. That way, I can criticize your skills next time," replied Alaude coldly. He then slipped on Roll's ring.

"Hmph. You'd better not die out there or I'll bite you to death in the next world," warned Kyoya before turning his back on his father.

"Tch. If you can that is," said Alaude boredly as he turned around and strode off. Everyone else sighed. How the two of them communicated was beyond them.

"Mukuro, take good care of your sister, understand? Nufufu…of course, you should take care of yourself too…" said Daemon, his fatherly skills kicking in again as he patted his kids on their heads.

Chrome sniffled and hugged her father. "Good luck, Father. Don't die out there. Here, take Mukurowl in case you need help…" muttered the young illusionist. Daemon smiled. Even she was already 16, he still saw her as the small child she was when he first found her. The same went to Mukuro (Something Mukuro found quite gross).

"Everyone, good luck. The same goes to you, Shoichi, Spanner. Defeat those b*******," said Cozart grimly as he nodded to his friends.

"Good luck, Uncle Alaude, Asari, Daemon!"

"Kick off some heads!"

"Flatten those robots!"

"Don't die on us!"

"Shishishi. The prince will enjoy this…"

"VOIIIIIII SCUM! DON'T GO DYING ON US AFTER ALL WE THE VARIA HAVE DONE!"

"GOOD LUCK TO THE EXTREME UNCLES! WE'LL EXTREMELY ROOT FOR YOU HERE!" roared Ryohei enthusiastically, his eyes practically burning with excitement.

"YES! WELL SAID MY GOOD NEPHEW! PRIMOOO! TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE AND I WILL EXTREMELY PUNCH YOU IF YOU ALL LOSE!" added Knuckle seriously. Hayato who had unfortunately been standing nearby scowled and covered his ears, glaring at the duo as he did.

"I'm so glad I wasn't chosen…" muttered Lampo to himself, a look of relief on his face. Adelheid who had been standing close to him rolled her eyes and shook her head. How someone like him became a Vongola guardian was something she was still trying to figure out.

"Alright Shoichi, Spanner! We'll be placing our fate in your trusting hands!" said Asari happily as he clapped the two on the back.

"Please don't phrase it that way, Asari-san. Though we'll try our best to come up with the battle strategy for you!" said Shoichi nervously. He clutched his stomach and gulped. Beside him, Spanner nodded his head encouragingly towards the group, his eyes glued to his device.

With one last wave, the small group walked out of the main hall, witnessing the door slam shut almost immediately followed with the sound of it being bolted and locked. It reminded Giotto greatly of the dreaded Vindice prison he had visited years ago.

As Giotto walked onwards, a feeling of dread filled his insides. Choice was about to begin.

For the better or for the worst.

**SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE OF CHOICE**

"Looks like Choice is officially going to start in a minute. Somehow, I feel very nervous for Uncle Asari, Daemon and Alaude…" sighed Tsuna worriedly as he bit his lip. He was currently seated on a large rock, his eyes fixed on the Leon-screen. Over the months, his hair had grown even spikier but besides that, nothing about the teen had changed.

His companion who had been seated on the larger rock behind him yawned. "You should be. If they lose, we'll lose everything," he replied boredly. Tsuna gulped.

"Isn't it your job to stop that from happening?"

"Probably."

Tsuna sighed. There was no point arguing with the rock-headed, spartan tutor of his that was never surprised at anything. Choosing to ignore the grown man, he turned his attention back to the screen, just in time to see his Papa and uncles walk out the main hall, an air of seriousness surrounding them.

"That's strange…" muttered Reborn suddenly, his previous aura of laziness disappearing. Tsuna looked at him with confusion.

"What is?"

"The door. Why are the Cervello locking—no—bolting the doors to the main hall? It's as though they don't want any of them to get out of the room…" muttered Reborn, his eyes covered by his fedora as he thought, creating an air of mysteriousness.

Tsuna frowned. "Bolt? They bolted the door?"

Reborn sighed and shook his head. "This is why you're called No-Good Tsuna. Pay attention to your surroundings."

"Well, even if they did bolt the door, maybe they didn't want Uncle Cozart or the rest interfering with the match?"

Reborn shook his head, deep in thought. "Impossible. The Cervello may be well-known for doing all these kind of nonsense but if you remember, Dame-Tsuna, they didn't do the same for Byakuran's team," said the hitman as he pointed to the other camera which displayed an open door.

"But isn't that because all of them went to the observation deck?" asked Tsuna. Reborn shook his head.

"I've checked the blueprints of the area. If one of the main halls are bolted and locked, the same will happen to the other hall, regardless of whether it is empty or not. Even if there were people inside, the door still wouldn't lock. It looks like only the doors to the Vongola hall were bolted shut," muttered Reborn.

"What does this mean, Reborn?" asked Tsuna, his eyes furrowed in a mixture of confusion and understanding.

The hitman pushed his fedora down. "It means the Cervello have forgotten their place in the world and I have to be more serious with my job…"

**BACK TO CHOICE**

The silence was unbearable. Not even the sound of crickets was heard. To add on to the depressing mood, mist surrounded the whole area, making it nearly impossible to see anything.

Six competitors stood facing one another, three on one side and three on the other. All six men were glaring at each other murderously. Even Asari, who was normally laid back and easy going emitted an aura of killing around him, his eyes promising to strike down anyone who would cross his path. Daemon and Alaude bore excitement in their eyes. Their hands twitched at the thought of engaging in combat with the people who had brought them all pain.

On the other side, Zakuro was grinning in amusement. With a smirk and a taunting look on his face, he shifted into position and cocked his head to one side, examining his opponents. To him, he felt like he could kill them all with one swipe of his hand, let alone the power of the Mare ring. Beside him, Kikyo stood, his arms folded. Like Zakuro, he too was examining his opponents and chuckled. If the Vongola consisted of only what looked like weaklings like these, it would be a piece of cake. However though, he knew that they were not named the famous Vongola Guardians for nothing. He had to be cautious. Gingerbread however, merely glanced at his opponents before staring into blank space again.

It seemed like five of them were ready to tear each other's necks at first command.

When the time ended, the Cervello jumped down from nowhere and landed gracefully on their feet. All of them were dressed in the same attire, a black mask, a casual blouse and long pants. Nodding at each other, two of the women walked forward, their faces blank of any emotion.

"Welcome to Choice which was suggested by Byakuran Gesso—

"—and founded by Irie Shoichi."

"Today, Choice will begin. As everyone witnessed a few minutes ago, the second option of Choice has been chosen—"

"—and Vongola Primo will send out 1 Mist Guardian, 1 Cloud Guardian and 1 Rain Guardian—"

"—while Byakuran Gesso will send out 1Sun Guardian, 1 Cloud Guardian and 1 Storm Guardian. "

"The battle is simple. The participants are required to take out as many Gola Mosca's as they can within the time limit which is 60 minutes. During the fight, the participants are allowed to defeat the opponent's team members but be warned, they are not allowed to harm the observation hall or they will be disqualified."

"With that, Choice will now commence. Participants of Choice, observers of Choice, please get ready," said the two Cervello women in unison, jumping out of the ring as they did. One of them clapped their hands and a large dashboard appeared with the words Vongola and Milliefiore written on it.

"This is to tally the amount of Mosca's defeated as well as the condition of the players," explained the Cervello woman in a monotone voice. "The one in the middle shows the time. Players, ready yourselves."

One of the Cervello women checked the time. She then nodded to her partner who pressed a button while yelling "Begin!", a sound that echoed the arena like a canon. As soon as the words left her mouth, the sound of Mosca's approaching were heard.

Choice had started.

**TEAM VONGOLA**

Asari had closed his eyes. This was to calm his nerves and steady his heart as well as to clear his head before the game started; a method his father had taught him before training his katana. This was a fight Asari had no intention of losing. Shoichi had stressed numerous times that losing the battle would result in chaos. Besides, if he had lost, what would he say to Takeshi who had fought numerous battles by himself already?

"Begin!" boomed the Cervello, snapping Asari out of his thoughts. He looked at Daemon and Alaude. Both of them nodded at him and soon disappeared into the Mist. Without hesitation, Asari too moved away, out of sight from the enemy.

"Asari-san. Listen carefully. Spanner has a lock on the enemy. According to his calculations, Zakuro has gone after Alaude and Kikyo has gone after Daemon. Gingerbread is looking for you. I'm not done yet. Mosca's will be appearing from your left and it is important you listen to what I have to say. The Mosca's are not affected by head-to-head attacks but instead have to take out from the inside. Primo-san will explain it to you in a few seconds—DUCK!" yelled Shoichi, alarming Asari who quickly turned around, sword raised, just in time to dodge a Gola Mosca.

"Tch," cussed the swordsman as he jumped back. "T-That's a Mosca! I'll pass you to Primo-san!" yelled Shoichi in a panicked voice.

Asari didn't have time to wait for Giotto. From listening Takeshi's tales of robots, he was sure that all of them had to have some kind of robot heart where once destroyed, they wouldn't be able to move. With that in mind, he raised his sword, eyes alert. The Mosca snorted and charged forward.

With years of katana practice, Asari moved out of the way easily and with fast movements, brought his sword down, piercing the Mosca at where he thought was its weak point. He then quickly lit his Vongola ring, coating his sword with Rain flames. Before the robot could react, Asari extended the size of his flames and frowned. With a deep breath, he tightened his grip on his katana and much to everyone's amazement, his Rain flame turned into ice, freezing the insides of the Mosca. However, Asari didn't stop there. He then proceeded to shattering the ice, breaking what he thought would be the 'heart' of the robot. To his relief, the robot stopped moving and went limp.

The tally on the board for the Vongola family became 1.

Asari was sure he would thank Talbot for teaching him that skill.

"Yes!" cheered Asari happily with a grin on his face. He turned to the camera and did a thumbs up, hoping Takeshi could see it.

"Seems like you don't need my help, Asari. I'm impressed with the freezing part. G demands an explanation for it," chuckled Giotto's voice.

"Tell G I'd be glad to tell him my tale!" replied Asari with a laugh. "Right. I've got to get moving! See you soon, Giotto!" called Asari before running deeper into the mist.

**IN THE VONGOLA MAIN HALL**

"Haha! I told you dad would make it!" laughed Takeshi easily, his arms folded casually behind him.

"That's not my point you idiot! How did Uncle Asari know how to freeze his Rain flames like that? It's something that takes years and years of practice!" said Hayato impatiently.

"Who knows?" said Takeshi with a grin, infuriating the silver-haired who had started wondering how he had managed to live in the same home as this guy without going insane.

"AHAHAHAHA VOIIIII! THAT GUY HAS TALENT BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BEAT ME!" roared Squalo proudly.

"That's Asari for you!" smiled Cozart. Knuckle nodded. The Shimon kids were too hooked to the screens to comment.

"GOOOOO UNCLE ASARI!" roared Ryohei enthusiastically.

"Kufufu…looks like Uncle Alaude is up next…" grinned Mukuro in anticipation. Unlike his other siblings, both he and Chrome were seated calmly on a nearby chair.

"Hn…" said Kyoya with a bored look on his face.

**BACK TO THE ARENA**

"Those who are too weak to be flying around like flies should just stay down!" snarled Alaude as he charged head on towards the oncoming group of Mosca's.

"Alaude-san! I—" started Shoichi before he was rudely interrupted by Alaude himself.

"If it's about the ugly looking flies, I already know about their weaknesses. Now stop bothering me or I'll arrest you!" growled Alaude.

"Y-Y-Yes Alaude-s-san! I-I-I'll l-leave immediately!" yelped Shoichi.

Alaude frowned. If he was to take out the Gola Mosca for good, his handcuffs would not do much damage. Stowing his handcuffs away, he whipped out the tonfa's Kyoya had given him and held them tightly. With a smile, he skillfully dodged the incoming missiles that dispersed the mist when it hit the ground. Upon impact, Alaude brought down the weapon on the robot, revealing a hidden mechanism Talbot had added on the weapon which turned out to be a blade. Alaude grinned sadistically. How very helpful.

A few seconds later, Alaude stood in the middle of a pile of Mosca remains, yawning boredly as he did. He looked at the Vongola tally and was pleased to see that it had increased to 20. Glancing at the Milliefiore scoreboard, he was annoyed to see that it had reached 15.

"Can't say I'm not impressed with the Vongola tally. Seems like you guys aren't all that bad either. However, compared to us, you guys are 0," sneered a voice.

"Oh? Looks like it's my lucky day. I finally get to face a Funeral Wreath. How exciting," said Alaude with his usual sadistic grin. Excitement had filled his cold eyes, somehow making them even colder.

**WITH GIOTTO AND CO.**

"It looks like Alaude-san has decided to face Zakuro head on," announced Spanner casually as though he was talking about the weather.

Giotto who had been paying attention to Asari quickly snapped up and looked over at Spanner. "Where?" asked the boss urgently. Spanner pointed at the screen.

"And it looks like there are Mosca's heading his way…" muttered Shoichi nervously. He clutched his stomach.

"Quick! Tell him about the Mosca's!" yelled Giotto. Shoichi nodded.

"Giotto, the tally has gone up. Milliefiore 10 and Vongola 15. That idiot Daemon just engaged into battle with that scumbag Kikyo and the both are at it. It seems like the two are battling each other while having a competition with the Gola Mosca," said G in an annoyed tone. Looking after Daemon was one of the most ridiculous things he had done in his life.

"Keep an eye on him, G. Asari seems to be doing fine too. No wait. He just encountered Gingerbread and looks like they're about to face off," said Giotto in a worried voice.

"A-Alaude-san just told me that he wanted to kill two birds with one stone and so he's going head on with Zakuro and destroy the Mosca at the same time," sighed Shoichi as he messed his hair up in exasperation.

"Don't worry, Shoichi. I'm sure they'll be fine. I trust my guardians with my life and I'm sure everyone else in the main hall feel the same," said Giotto firmly, his eyes fixed on the screens. Shoichi took a deep breath and nodded.

"You're right, Primo-san. The best we can do is help them in any way possible."

"Then let's do our job properly. I don't think I'll be able to face Tsuna in death if we lose this match," said Giotto with a grin.

**BACK TO THE ARENA**

"Nufufu…if that's all you can do, Kikyo. I assure you your death is certain," chuckled Daemon eerily as he pulled out his scythe from one of the Gola Mosca's.

"O-ho? Certain you say? Don't get cocky Spade. You Vongola are weak," taunted Kikyo as he ripped his hand away from the Mosca, pulling out the core as he did.

"Nufufu…oya oya. Let's see who's weak then," chuckled the illusionist as he disappeared into the mist; his element.

Kikyo looked around cautiously and cussed. All the Mosca's surrounding them suddenly exploded and fell to the ground, increasing the tally for the Vongola. With fast movement, Kikyo whipped back and blocked Daemon's attack, narrowly missing the sharp blade.

"O-ho? I admit you do live up to your name, Daemon Spade. No wonder Torikabuto wants to fight you. But I'm no weakling," chuckled Kikyo with an amused smile on his face. He then lit his Mare ring and both men jumped back, weapon at the ready.

"It's been a long time since we were allowed to come out and play. This would be a good workout," grinned Kikyo excitedly.

"Nufufu…I could say the same to you…" chuckled Daemon, flames escaping his Vongola Mist ring.

**Done with this chapter. I'm so sorry if it was disappointing but I plan to make the important fights in the next chapter. **

**Which comes to my next question. I've been planning to only write out 2 fight scenes for the next chapter because I don't want to drag Choice on for so long like the original series and since I've decided to do Gingerbread's, I'm debating with Alaude and Daemon's fight. So I'll leave that to you guys to answer. Just let me know. : ) **

**See you guys in the next chapter and once again, thank you very much for your reviews!**

**And I am so sorry to those who PM-ed me and didn't get a reply from me. Please forgive me!**

**(I hope you guys don't mind me changing here and there in my story. Hehe)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Ciaossu everyone! I apologize for the incredibly long wait that you guys had to endure for me to post up a new chapter. I had end of the year exams and well AC3 just launched (Connor!) so yeah. I want to say thanks to some of you guys here who kept asking me to update despite my laziness. I really really love you guys! Anyways, here's the next chapter! **

**P.S This chapter has a lot of OOC. Be warned. **

Chapter 25: The Swordsman Strikes

When one mentions the word 'Sword', the first thing that pops up into your mind is a sharp blade used to slay men after men. In the mafia world, the use of swords, let alone katana's were hard to find as most mafiaso preferred the use of revolvers or rifles. To them, the sound of the gun was like music to their ears. The thought of any one of them wielding swords was ridiculous; laughable.

This was not so for Asari Ugetsu.

The said man closed his eyes, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. He heard everything; the sound of the Mosca's rocketing their way towards him, the sound of the light footsteps running away from him and most importantly the sound of Irie Shoichi screaming in his ear.

"IN FRONT OF YOU ASARI-SAN! GINGERBREAD JUST SHOT SOMETHING IN YOUR DIRECTION!" shrieked the young lad with a voice no opera woman could have matched.

Asari whipped out both of his katana's, his Vongola ring emitting a bright blue flame. In one quick stroke, he sliced what looked like a ball into half. He then reached for a small dagger and flung it at the running boy in front of him. The boy however dodged the blade skillfully and pulled out his own weapon. With a hasty movement, he fired a whole bunch of needles towards Asari who reflected them.

"So this is the legendary Asari Ugetsu I've heard so much about. Not bad for an outsider…" said Gingerbread, his eyes hidden by the large wizard's hat that looked like it would swallow his whole head. His mouth however was turned into what looked like a mixture of a smirk and interest.

"The same can be said to you. I was expecting someone…taller," said Asari honestly. He wasn't being sarcastic. He was actually quite surprised that Gingerbread was still a teenager, just like Takeshi or younger.

Gingerbread's mouth twitched in slight annoyance but otherwise kept his calm composure. "By Byakuran-sama's orders, I swear upon my life to take you down, Vongola," said Gingerbread in a serious voice.

Asari nodded and tightened his grip on his katana. Even though Gingerbread looked young, Asari knew it would be foolish to let his guard down.

After all, this was the boy responsible for destroying half the population of mafia families all around Italy.

**WITH IRIE AND CO**

"Shoichi…don't you think it's weird?" muttered Spanner as he unwrapped another lollipop and popped it into his mouth, tossing the wrapper into a bin now filled with lollipop sticks.

"That Daemon has decided to turn his attention to the Milliefiore and not the Mosca's? Not in the slightest," sighed Shoichi as he clutched his stomach and ruffled his hair in exasperation. Beside him, Giotto was trying his best to convince the Mist Guardian that Kikyo was not worth his time and that he should focus on the given time. G on the other hand was doing fine with pointing out directions to where Alaude should head to.

Spanner shook his head and went back to the screen. "I'm talking about Gingerbread. You may not know this but Lal told me that she and Chrome had defeated Gingerbread in the Milliefiore hideout. If she's right, why is there a Gingerbread here?"

"Kid's got a good point there. I don't quite understand that," said G with a frown. "Heck, how does one puny brat like that manage to go around slaughtering mafia families? Any way you look at it, it seems weird. I mean, he's about Hayato's age isn't he?"

"It's time I told you guys about Gingerbread. When Gingerbread-san was a child, he witnessed the murder of his entire family by a group of drunken mafiaso. It was a tragic incident where he and his family so happened were at the wrong place at the wrong time. In the middle of gunfire, he had somehow managed to escape and took off for the streets where he grew up just like Sawada Tsunayoshi-san and his siblings. I wouldn't be surprised if they bumped into each other before."

"Moving on, when Gingerbread was 12, he was picked up by Byakuran-san who had just founded the Milliefiore. Seeing Byakuran as his savior, he swore loyalty at once and has served him since," said Shoichi grimly.

"But what does this have to do with his abilities?" asked Giotto.

"I'm getting to it, Giotto-san. During his stay in the Milliefiore, Byakuran suggested he create clones of himself, something Gingerbread agreed to. That's why he has managed to assassinate mafia families without sweat. What everyone thought was a single man was actually an army of Gingerbreads."

"Hold on. Does that mean Asari's facing a group of 'Gingerbread's' at the moment?" growled G with a frown. Shoichi shook his head.

"If he was, I would have warned him but no. After the attempt to take out the 'Funeral Wreaths' in the base, Kyoya-san had unknowingly destroyed the clone machine with his box weapon. The Gingerbread you see here is the original Gingerbread. If Asari defeats him, that'll be the end of Gingerbread."

**WITH THE REMAINING VONGOLA FAMILY**

"20 florin on Ugetsu," stated Cozart confidently.

"Shishishi…The prince says 100 florin on the wizard…" chuckled Bel sadistically.

"THAT'S EXTREMELY TERRIBLE OF YOU! I SAY 100000 ON ASARI!" roared Knuckle, his eyes burning with passion.

"AND I BET 150000!" added Ryohei enthusiastically.

"VOIIIII! WHAT'S THIS? YOU'RE BETTING THAT MUCH MONEY? IN THAT CASE, I BET 200000 ON ASARI!" came Squalo's loud reply.

"I bet 90 on Gingerbread," yawned Lampo boredly, earning death glares from Knuckle and Cozart.

"Idiots all of them. I doubt they even have enough money to fend for themselves!" growled Hayato, a vein twitching in his temple.

"F-Father…" muttered Chrome worriedly as she bit her lip and twiddled her thumbs.

"Don't worry Chrome, I'll protect you if anything happens. Father will be fine," said Mukuro in a soothing voice. He patted his sister on the head encouragingly. Chrome nodded and smiled wearily. Both of them watched as Daemon and Kikyo went after each other's throats while taking out Mosca's.

"Yare yare. Uncle Alaude's as violent as ever…" muttered Lambo with a gulp. The screen showed Alaude with an evil smile on his face as he pulled Kyoya's newly made tonfa's from a Mosca's chest and then proceeding to smashing another one's head off. When he was done, he pulled Roll out of his trench coat and the rest was history.

"Cheh. What a show off…" growled Kyoya in annoyance.

"OH MY GOSH! UNCLE ASARI IS BEING CHASED BY A GIANT SPIDER!" yelled Enma in fright, his index fingers pointing at the 30ft tall spider behind Asari.

"That looks fun!" laughed Takeshi easily.

"Fun? He could die from that!" yelled Hayato in panic.

Takeshi smiled and shook his head confidently. "Dad would never die. He promised us he'd come back after all!"

"I sure hope so…"

**WITH ASARI **

Asari knew he was in a tight spot. Heck, he was sure Giotto was pacing up and down the room with worry now. Anyone would be if they saw what was chasing him at the moment:

Spanner's ingenious creation, the Gola Mosca's which were said to be able to blow one to bits with their flames and here he was, being chased by a whole army of them.

A 30 ft tall spider that was spitting venom and spider webs at him. The worst part was that the spider was surrounded by Sun flames, making it nearly impossible to kill it without the creature regenerating back.

"WHO'S TALLER NOW?" yelled Gingerbread with a laugh as he flew beside the giant spider and fired needles at Asari.

It would have been rather comical if Asari wasn't in the midst of the whole thing.

First things first. Asari closed his eyes and concentrated. For some reason he couldn't connect back with Shoichi, meaning he was all alone. He jumped right, narrowly dodging the shower of arrows and Mosca flames. He felt for his pockets and pulled out his box weapon.

The box weapon! Asari had completely forgotten about Talbot's invention. He had to open the box but not with his pursuers chasing him like that. He needed a distraction and he was going to create one. With a smile, he stopped running and turned around, katana in hand.

"Taki no Mai," whispered the swordsman as he swung the sword above him. As the words left his lips, a barrier made of Rain flames appeared with multiple images of himself.

"Running away won't help you!" yelled Gingerbread as he ignited his ring and fired from his broom again, this time releasing sun coated needles which pierced the images, causing the water to fall.

"Running away? Why would I do something that will dishonor my father's name?" came Asari's voice from behind, his ring coming in contact with his box weapon.

A bright light filled the arena.

"_That's a beautiful technique you have there, Asari. What's it called?" asked Talbot as he hobbled into the training room where Asari was, his precious katana in hand. _

_Asari grinned and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Beautiful isn't it? It's the Shigure Soen Ryu. Takeshi taught it to me," replied Asari proudly. _

"_The Invisible Sword Style? That's quite a feat for a young boy like Takeshi. I'm impressed."_

_Asari nodded. "I admire Takeshi's determination to master this for the sake of protecting his siblings. From what he told me, he used to train in front of Tsuna when they were living in the streets. It came useful to him several times. I understand what he means. I would sell my bamboo flute for Primo's sake," said Asari cheerfully._

"_And I'm sure Giotto would do the same for you. Keep it up!" chuckled Talbot as he turned around. "Oh and Asari…" _

"_Hm?" _

"_I wouldn't count on selling that bamboo flute of yours…" replied Talbot with a mysterious grin before exiting the room._

"Wow…." gasped Asari in awe as he held his new weapons in his hands. In his right hand, he held a nagakatana which was emitting bright blue flames. The hilt of the weapon was shaped like swallow wings with the roman numeral 'I' there. In his left, he held three small blades which were also emitting Rain flames.

"Thanks Talbot-san…" whispered Asari.

"Cheh…D*** you Talbot…" cussed Gingerbread. "Even so, a couple of swords won't make much of a d—" started Gingerbread before a loud cracking sound was heard. The wizard's eyes widened as he watched the Vongola swordsman slice the army of Mosca's like cake. The tally for Vongola increased.

"It's time I ended this," said Asari calmly, his killer aura surrounding him. "I thought this through. I know how to defeat your spider now."

"Oh? Be my guest," taunted the young wizard haughtily.

Asari smiled and charged, his swords in hand. "Hisame," muttered Asari as he swung his nagakatana. In a flash, hardened Rain flames dropped down on the giant spider, causing it to scream in pain.

"Useless! I'll just heal it!" yelled Gingerbread as he ignited his ring. Much to his horror however, nothing happened and the spider continued screeching in pain.

Seeing Gingerbread's confused expression, Asari pointed up where Kojirou was circling, rain flames dropping how. "I don't know how it works but I remember Lal Mirch telling someone that Rain flames could do this," replied Asari sheepishly. "Now. Shajiku no Ame!" yelled Asari as he thrust his nagakatana forward, injuring the giant beast, causing it to explode and pushing both he and Gingerbread back.

**BACK TO VONGOLA FAMILY**

"Gross….Spider gut!" said Julie in disgust as green and red goo flew everywhere.

"It's not that bad…" said Enma in defense before a piece of spider eye hit against their window. "I take it all back…"

"It's looking at me!" shrieked Lambo as he pointed at the spider eye.

"That was cool!" yelled Takeshi excitedly. "Great job Dad!"

"Alaude looks pissed at being covered with spider goo. Look at that. He's venting out his anger on those poor Mosca's," said Cozart as he shook his head.

"Uncle Daemon and that man Kikyo are throwing the goo at each other…" sighed Hayato.

"Talk about childish," muttered Adelheid in disgust.

"VOIIII SHUT UP BRATS! I AGREE THAT THAT D*** ILLUSIONIST IS AN IDIOT BUT LOOK AT THE SCORE BOARD! WE'RE OBVIOUSLY WINNING!" roared Squalo as he pointed at the 3500 to 2500

**WITH REBORN**

"I sense the calm before the storm…" muttered Reborn seriously as he watched Leon transform between a T.V and a radio. After all, his chameleon only did this when something bad was going to happen.

"He's planning something, isn't he Uni?" asked Reborn seriously as Uni and Basil emerged from the foliage.

"Uncle Reborn! It's so good to see you!" cheered the Arcobaleno boss as she hugged her uncle.

"Pleasure to meet you, Reborn-dono," greeted Basil politely.

"You're right, Uncle Reborn. Byakuran is planning something. I've seen it come to pass if we don't stop him. It's time we went out there and revealed ourselves. The time of hiding has come to pass. We need to play our roles here now," replied Uni with her eyes closed as she clutched her pocket tightly. Reborn nodded.

"Where is Sawada-dono? I was told he was here," asked Basil as he looked around with interest. Reborn smirked.

"I sent Tsuna to retrieve the final piece of the Shimon collection. After all, all rings will be needed to take down this maniac. Don't worry. Tsuna will come when he's needed," replied Reborn smugly.

"Now. Let's get ready for the start of the storm…"

**WITH BYAKURAN AND CO**

"Boo Byakuran! I told you that Gingerbread would lose!" pouted Bluebell unhappily.

"Bubu agrees w-with B-Bluebell. D-Daisy would have done a b-better job…" muttered Daisy nervously.

"…" said Torikabuto.

"Now, now Bluebell, Daisy. I know you guys would do a much better job but I had to dispose of a pawn hm…I guess Gingerbread has no use to me any longer. Such a pity though. He had so much talent," smirked Byakuran coldly as he opened another packet of marshmallows.

"What are we going to do now, Byakuran? We're obviously losing here!" said Bluebell with displeasure written all over her face.

"Didn't we discuss this before, Bluebell? Do you think I'd let us lose after having the Vongola rings so close?" asked Byakuran with a smile.

"W-What d-does that mean, B-Byakuran-s-sama?" muttered Daisy in confusion.

"Cervello-chan? It's time. Tell Kikyo and Zakuro to begin the plan," sang Byakuran as he snapped his fingers.

"Of course, Byakuran-sama. Everything is set. We shall begin immediately," replied the Cervello with a bow before exiting the room.

"Oh and Cervello-chan! Tell Kikyo to dispose of Gingerbread. I have no use for him any longer!" said Byakuran happily. "Daisy-chan, I'm going to show you the event that will be known as the 'Great Vongola Massacre' in mafia history."

**WITH KIKYO AND CO**

"Nufufu…I can't express my hatred for you. It's too big," chuckled Daemon with an evil smile.

"O-ho? I was thinking the same thing. You are indeed a formidable opponent, Spade, I admit that but I'm stronger than you are," replied Kikyo smugly.

"Care to exchange another round of blows with me?" growled the illusionist with murderous intent.

"It would be my pleasure," said Kikyo before getting interrupted by the voice in his ear. With a sadistic smile, Kikyo laughed and nodded. "I would like to stay and play, Vongola but I have something else to do which will bring you greater pain. Don't worry, I'll come back for you when I'm done," chuckled the man as he disappeared before Daemon could even react.

Daemon cussed and too went off. He could sense a bad premonition and it was going to strike soon.

**WITH ASARI AND CO**

"B-Byakuran-sama was right…You are the best swordsman in this era. Even Genkishi would have been defeated by you…" muttered Gingerbread weakly.

"Really? Haha! That's awesome!" laughed Asari as he swung his nagakatana at a Mosca.

"Cheh. L-Looking like a fool. I'm not defeated yet. I-I will serve Byakuran-sama to the fullest!" coughed Gingerbread as he struggled to stand up.

"Come on, I'll help you," said Asari cheerfully as he stretched out his hand. Gingerbread looked repulsed.

"Like I'd accept help from a Vongola!" spat the young boy.

"Come on! I'm just trying to help!"

"No! Go away!"

"O-ho. What a sad sight, Gingerbread," came a voice. Asari spun around and frowned. He gripped his weapons tightly. Kikyo waved his hand. "Don't worry, Vongola. I'm only here for this brat."

"K-Kikyo!"

"Byakuran-sama is disappointed with your failure, Gingerbread. Didn't you promise him that you would succeed this time?" said Kikyo with mock disappointment.

"I-I can e-explain myself. I-I'll defeat him!" cried the young boy in terror. "P-Please!"

"Byakuran-sama gave you a lot of chances, Gingerbread. You refused to redeem yourself for Byakuran-sama's vision for a greater future. For that, you have no place in it!" laughed Kikyo evily.

"N-No wait! B-B-Byakuran-sama would n-never….He would never!" repeated the young boy with fear in his eyes.

"Goodbye, Gingerbread," whispered the man before snapping his fingers, causing purple flowers to appear, wrapping themselves around the young boy.

"_Poor boy, homeless and shunned by this poor excuse of a society, come with me, I shall take care of you. Serve me and together we'll create a better future. From today onwards, your name will be called 'Gingerbread'. _

"_W-W-What's your n-name?" _

"_Byakuran hm…"_

"BYAKURAN-SAMA!" screamed Gingerbread as he held up his hand, as though reaching for a hand that would never come. Slowly, his body disintegrated and nothing remained.

The whole arena was silent as the Vongola slowly took in the scene, a mixture of grief, shock and anger filling them up.

"Such a sad end…I would say the same of the Vongola, o-ho?" smirked Kikyo before disappearing once more from a furious looking Asari.

Oh but the Vongola didn't have time to feel the anger for at that very moment, Byakuran's voice boomed throughout the arena.

"SUCH A PITY. I DID LIKE GINGERBREAD BUT JUST LIKE GEN-CHAN, THEY WERE JUST MEANT TO BE MY STEPPING STONES. ONCE THEY PLAYED THEIR PARTS, POOF!" sang Byakuran's voice.

"That slimy b******. To h*** with him…" growled G angrily. Giotto frowned. His hyper intuition was throbbing his head like a bad headache. Shoichi clutched his stomach. All around the arena, the Gola Mosca's stopped moving and dropped to the ground.

"MOVING ON!~~~ BY THE LOOKS OF IT, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE WAY AHEAD OF ME! CONGRATULATIONS!," continued the young mafia don's voice happily.

"Do you think he's agreeing that we won?" murmured Cozart with a frown.

"I extremely hope so?" replied Knuckle, making it sound more like a question than an answer.

"BUT AS THE TIME GOES, IT'S TOO EARLY TO CONSIDER THE WINNER HMM?~~ PRIMO-CHAN, CONSIDER THIS A GIFT FROM THE MELLIEFIORE~," rang Byakuran's voice followed by the eerie silence.

"Primo…I don't like the sound of that…" muttered Daemon's voice into Giotto's ear piece. Giotto nodded. Neither did he.

"What did he mean by that?" asked G with a frown.

"I don't know but I know it's not going to be pleasant…" replied the Vongola Boss. He looked at the two teens with a questioning look. Just as he was about to ask, Asari's voice rang into his ear.

"Primo! That red Funeral Wreath looks like he's getting ready to fire something. He's building up his storm flames!" yelled Asari urgently.

"What? What's he doing?"

"I don't know. He saw me and quickly flew towards the edge of the forest."

"The edge of the forest? Why would he go there?" asked Giotto with confusion. His mind raced and soon, he got the answer, one that made his hearty nearly stop. "S***! He's heading towards where Cozart and the kids are!" said Giotto in a panic-stricken voice.

"WHAT?" yelled G, his eyes wide with horror. "That son of a b****. He's planning to blow the kids up!" cussed G.

Giotto nodded, his heart pulsing. "That's right! And he's making Zakuro do it! We've got to stop him. Asari, Alaude, Daemon! STOP ZAKURO! HE'S PLANNING TO BLOW UP THE MAIN HALL!" yelled Giotto.

"S***!" yelled Daemon as he disappeared into the mist.

"ON IT!" yelled Asari, his weapons in hand as he sprinted quickly.

"I'm going to knock his head off!" growled the skylark angrily.

"Shoichi! Hack into the main hall and tell them all to get the h*** out!" yelled Giotto as G kicked open the door and sprinted into the arena. Shoichi nodded and a few minutes later, he successfully connected.

"Primo! We've had a hold up! That b****** Kikyo's attacking us all! He's trying to stall us!" cussed Daemon in deep annoyance as he readied his weapon and looked around.

"Daemon, you distract him with Alaude. Get Asari and G to get around him to stop Zakuro at all cost!" ordered Giotto back.

"Understood."

"Shoichi, I'll leave this to you and Spanner!" said Giotto before he too took for the door. Shoichi nodded and went back to alerting the others.

"EVERYONE! GET OUT OF THE ROOM! NOW!" shrieked the young teen, his voice booming into the hall. "ZAKURO'S ABOUT TO BLOW ALL OF YOU UP!"

"WHATTT?" screamed Lampo and Lambo at the same time.

"Shishishi…This won't end well…" chuckled Bel calmly.

"The door's locked!" yelled Cozart. Both he and Knuckle were trying their hardest to pry the door open but to no avail.

"Oh s***," cussed Hayato.

"B-But that's impossible! I'll try and unlock them!" yelled Shoichi.

"BE EXTREMELY QUICK!" roared Ryohei.

"I-It's no good! D***! I think the Cervello had something to do with this!" yelled Shoichi is fear.

"VOIIII! THERE'S A BIG RED BALL OF LIGHT IN FRONT OF US! IT'S THAT F***** B****** FROM THE MELLIEFIORE!" roared Squalo as he gripped his weapon even though he knew there was nothing much he or everyone else could do. After all, the Cervello had made it so that no one could break out of the room.

"It's dad!" yelled Takeshi as he pointed outside the window at Asari who fired frozen rain flames at Zakuro.

"Too late though. That red ball of doom is ready to blow!" screamed Lambo in fright as both he and Lampo hid cowardly in the corner.

"Don't worry, Chrome. I'll keep you safe, I promise," said Mukuro soothingly as he stood protectively in front of his sister.

"B-Big brother. P-Please t-take care of yourself first!" argued Chrome. Cozart on the other hand stood protectively in front of his son, nephews and niece. He had activated his hyper dying will.

"Hayato, Takeshi, Ryohei, Kyoya! Get here quick!" roared the priest as he activated his sun ring and readied himself for the after effects. If they survived that is.

While Hayato, Takeshi and Ryohei did as they were told, Kyoya stood his ground, his eyes unfazed by the ball of flames headed for them. "Running is for the weak," stated the young boy plainly.

"VOIIII JUST SHUT UP AND HIDE YOU IDIOT! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU TRASH?" roared Squalo as he pushed him to the ground, earning a death glare from Kyoya. Squalo then whipped out his sword and held it in front of him. "FOR VARIAAAA!"

"Shishishi…As a prince, I will not die from this," chuckled Bel easily as he folded his hands behind his head.

"NO!" yelled Giotto as the ball of storm flames came in contact with the target, resulting in a large explosion.

"HAYATO!"

"TAKESHI!"

"S***!" cussed Daemon who had just arrived a little too late with Alaude, his eyes wide with the horror of what he saw.

"How does it feel to experience pain, Vongola? Beautiful isn't it!" laughed Zakuro gleefully as he watched the grief on the faces of Giotto and his guardians. Smoke filled the whole arena, making it nearly impossible to see anything.

"LIKE I SAID. TODAY SHALL BE KNOWN IN ALL OF HISTORY AS THE GREAT VONGOLA MASACCRE!" sang Byakuran's voice through the microphone.

"Be sure to check the history books in the future, Byakuran because I highly doubt it'll be there," came a deep voice, making everyone turn to the source of it which was covered by the smoke.

Gokuedera-dono, Yamamoto-dono, Hibari-dono, Sasagawa-dono, Cozart-dono, Varia-san, Lambo-san, are you alright?" asked a young man's voice through the smoke.

"Of course they'll be alright, Basil. The thing barely touched them!" replied the first voice with a sigh.

"Who…" muttered Giotto, his eyes straining through the mist, trying to see what was going on.

"Reborn…" growled Byakuran.

The smoke cleared, revealing the handsome, lean figure of the hitman with his fedora on and gun in place. Beside him was the young boy with a blue dying will flame flickering on his forehead, weapon in hand.

"VOIIII! WE'RE STILL ALIVE!"

"I LIVE!"

"EXTREME!" roared Ryohei as he punched the air in joy. the feeling of relief gushed back into Giotto and his guardians.

"You're…" gasped G as he recognized the man who he had threatened to shoot back in the Milliefiore base.

"Ciaossu everyone. It seems like I made it just in the nick of time…" smirked Reborn smugly.

**DONE. Once again guys, I want to thank all of you for patiently/ impatiently waiting for me to update. I'm sorry of this chapter was kind of a rush to you and the fact that I left it as a cliffhanger. I've decided to write a little OOC since the manga is finished and well, yeah. Once again, thanks for reading and reviewing my fic guys! :) **


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Hey everyone! I'm back! It's been a really long time since the last update so I'm really, really sorry for the extremely long wait. It's my fault I haven't been updating so I'm really sorry. No, I'm still very much alive. **** Thank you all to those who had and have remained loyal to this story and all those new readers that review and like my story! Thank you very much! **** Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

**Warning: I changed a lot in this chapter. **

Chapter 26: The Escape

"Reborn. Always the surprise, aren't you..." sighed Byakuran with a smirk on his face. Despite his cool demeanour, it was obvious that the young Milliefiore was deeply troubled with the hitman's appearance.

The said man dusted his fedora lightly, stuffed his gun back into its holster and said nothing. He was eyeing his surroundings with what looked like an interested expression on his face.

"Booo how rude! Byakuran's talking to you!" snarled Bluebell, her face contorted with anger. How dare he behave like this! How she felt like ripping this man's head apart with her bare hands. She clenched her fist, not noticing that her fellow companions were doing the same.

"Patience, everyone. Charging straight towards him now will only mean your deaths. Reborn is as strong as one of you even with the power of the Mare ring. I know," said Byakuran coolly, his eyes flickering towards the hitman and his neck, searching for the one thing that was now missing. He frowned.

"It's you! You were at the Milliefiore hideout!" exclaimed Giotto as he helped a still dazed Rauji on his feet. He had finally realized this after wrecking his brain. G eyed the hitman as he helped Hayato to his feet and ruffled his hair in a thankful matter. Daemon was standing protectively in front of his kids, his eyes flickering from Byakuran to his guardians. Alaude kept one eye on his son who had disappeared to the back of the crowd and the other on Byakuran. Asari and Takeshi were helping Squalo who had his leg wedged between two large chunks of stone while Knuckle and Ryohei healed those with injuries. Lampo and his son were hiding behind Bel who shook his head. Cozart held his ground in front of his family.

"Vongola Primo. It's a pleasure to see you and your guardians once again. Ciaossu!" greeted Reborn politely.

"Reborn sir! Am I glad to finally see you!" sighed Shoichi gratefully.

"Finally?"

"Hayato, don't you feel like you've seen this guy before?" whispered Takeshi with a frown. The sight of the fedora sent a wave of déjà vu in him.

"Yes but this isn't the time for reminiscing!" hissed his brother back. "We'll figure it out later!"

"Where is it? Where have you hidden it?" growled Byakuran suddenly, his eyes dark and menacing.

"Oh? So that's the first thing you ask me isn't it? Not 'how are you doing' or 'what are you doing here'? You disgust me, Byakuran," replied Reborn flatly, his eyes equally deadly.

"I don't care about your opinion, Reborn. Where have you kept it?" snarled the Milliefiore boss impatiently.

"Kept what?" muttered G with a frown. Giotto looked at the two men with questions running around his head. What on earth were they talking about?

"Somewhere your stinking hands will never touch as long as I live," replied the hitman. Byakuran growled.

"What's going on?" whispered Giotto to no one in particular.

"The Arcobaleno pacifier, Giotto-sama. Reborn was the holder of the Sun pacifier before," replied Basil seriously.

"Arcobaleno? You don't mean? This is the Reborn?" gasped Lampo in surprise. "But he's a baby!"

"Was, Lampo-sama. The Arcobaleno curse was broken years ago. Twas a long story..." replied the young boy politely, his head bowed slightly.

"And now's not the time for stories," said Reborn loudly. He noticed the flickering looks everyone gave him, their faces betraying their interest.

With a quick movement, Byakuran lunged, his hands aiming straight for the hitman, his face angry. With quick reflexes, Reborn dodged, his face narrowly missing the flames aimed for him. Byakuran snickered evilly and laughed.

"You won't dodge me forever, Reborn. It's time I ended this life of yours."

"Well you can try but without me, Uni will never appear," called the hitman almost lazily. The smile on Byakuran's face froze and softened for a second before the Milliefiore boss rearranged his expressions.

"Uni. She's here," said Byakuran in a flat voice, his eyes searching for the girl he could not see.

"Uni?" repeated Giotto as he too looked around. Didn't Uni disappear a long time ago too?

Reborn nodded and pulled out his gun. He eyed Byakuran and said "And she's got something to say to you. Uni, you can come out now. Don't worry, I'm not going to let this guy lay a finger on you."

Everyone was silent for a moment as a pair of soft footsteps filled the arena.

"Good afternoon, Byakuran-san, Primo-san, everyone!" greeted the sky child with a warm smile. Ignoring the tension all around her, she walked briskly towards where Reborn was standing. "It's a pleasure once again to be standing among all of you," continued Uni as she nodded happily towards Hayato and his siblings who nodded excitedly.

"Uni..." whispered Byakuran, his eyes never leaving her face. A soft expression spread across his face before the Milliefiore boss wiped his face clean of emotion.

"Uni? Why are you here?" asked Giotto in surprise. He was very confused. Heck, to be confused was an understatement. He was at a point where he didn't even know what was going on anymore. Beside him, his guardians were just as confused at him.

"Yes, Uni-channn why are you here~~?" sang Byakuran who had silently taken a few steps forward. His eyes which were slightly open were cold despite the smile on his face.

Uni, who was about to say something before getting rudely interrupted by Byakuran closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "_Tempo passerà prima che ci incontreremo di nuovo_. That time has passed and as I promised Byakuran-san, we meet once more," said the girl. Reborn arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

Byakuran was silent for a moment before he burst into a fit of giggles. "Ohh? That's so sweet of you, Uni-chan. I missed you too. Did you come back now because you agreed to finally help me?" asked the Milliefiore boss happily.

Uni shook her head. "I told you before, Byakuran-san. I can never agree with what you have in mind. The Arcobaleno pacifiers are not something you can use to gain power."

"Hm? I object to that sentence Uni-chan. If it was originally not made for greater power, why is it part of the Tri-Ni-Sette along with the Mare rings and the Vongola rings? If it wasn't made for power, why is it that I've seen it do wonders in other parallel worlds? If it wasn't made for power, why won't you give it to me?" growled Byakuran, his fingers stroking his Mare ring.

"The Arcobaleno pacifiers were made to keep the balance of the world along with the Mare rings and the Vongola rings. It's true that once awakened, all three of them would grant the holder absolute power but unlike the Mare and Vongola rings, the Arcobaleno pacifiers was made to keep the peace when both rings were used in battle. That is why, the Arcobaleno holders were sacrificed to a lifetime of eternity in a baby's body in order to keep the balance of power," replied Uni with a sad look on her face.

Giotto frowned and looked at Reborn. What Uni said made sense but if that was the case, why wasn't Reborn a baby? He could feel his guardians wondering the same thing. Even Squalo and Bel who were the noisiest of the bunch were silent, their faces filled with confusion and deep thought.

"Boo! Cursed to a lifetime of eternity in a baby's body? Then if I may ask, Uni-chan, why is this Reborn no longer a baby?" smirked Bluebell, her face filled with sarcasm and deep loathing. Uni merely smiled.

"Uncle Reborn is special but I won't tell you about it now. It will reveal itself in due time. For now, Byakuran-san, I am leaving," replied Uni, her eyes filled with determination.

Byakuran's eyes snapped open and his face became dark. "Where will you go to, Uni-chan? You have forgotten that despite not having you and Reborn's pacifier, I have the remaining 5 not to mention that I will soon have Primo's Vongola rings. Once I do that, I will find you," said Byakuran seriously.

Uni shook her head once again. "That is where you are wrong, Byakuran. You do not listen to what the pacifiers are saying. The 5 pacifiers with you are colourless, are they not?" asked Uni. Byakuran was taken aback and said nothing. Uni smiled and closed her eyes. She was right.

"Do you know why they do respond to you, Byakuran? It is because—" Uni held the orange pacifier along with Reborn's yellow pacifier in her palms and closed her eyes "—the pacifiers do not recognize who you are and thus lose their colours. The Arcobaleno's who once owned those pacifiers reject you as their master. Watch..." whispered the sky child. She was silent for a moment.

A bright light flickered from her palms and soon filled the arena.

"S-So b-b-bright!" whimpered Daisy with fear in his eyes. Torikabuto turned his face away. Even Kikyo and Zakuro covered their eyes. Bluebell gulped. Byakuran stood unmoving.

"This light. So warm..." whispered Giotto gently. The light brought back fond memories of Tsuna, memories Giotto had long kept hidden in his head.

"I'm blind!" squealed Lampo pathetically. Ryohei and Knuckle had sunglasses on. G was covering Hayato's eyes. Asari and Takeshi were smiling with a naive look on their faces. Both Alaude and Kyoya scowled but stood their ground. Basil was amazed. Mukuro covered Chrome's eyes while Daemon continued shielding his children. Bel took the opportunity and punched Squalo in the arm. Cozart stood in front of his family. Reborn yawned.

Uni opened her palm and to everyone's amazement, there lay 7 pacifiers. The pacifiers were coloured and still glowing brightly. The sky child grinned and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I-Impossible...I had them guarded..." murmured Byakuran, his eyes wide with surprise.

"The Arcobaleno pacifiers were made so that no matter where they were, when the Sky Arcobaleno called, all of them would transport to one another in a short period of time. No one but me is able to do this now..." whispered Uni. She held the pacifiers tightly to her chest almost protectively. "Therefore, no one else can activate the Tri-Ni-Sette even if they have all the pieces of the puzzles."

"No one...but you...Is that so...In that case, Uni-chan I cannot let you out of my sight for a minute. I need you, Uni-chan. This is the answer I have been searching for...in so many worlds...so many tries...But now, I know the answer. Come Uni-chan, my childhood friend, come with me," said Byakuran, excitement filling up his face. He walked forward, ignoring everyone around him.

"S-Stay away from me!" yelled Uni. She moved back several steps, her eyes mixed with fear and sadness. Even so, Byakuran continued forward.

"She said get away from her, Byakuran," growled Reborn warningly, his gun at the ready.

Byakuran froze, his eyes at the gun. No matter how powerful he was, he was not stupid enough to challenge Reborn. His guardians moved forward, ready to act.

Uni looked at Reborn and nodded in appreciation. She then turned towards Giotto. "Primo-san. Please, I'm begging you, please protect me! Please!" cried Uni in a panicky tone. Basil looked at Giotto.

Giotto didn't even need to think twice. He nodded his head. "Of course Uni! I won't hand you over to that madman over there," replied the Vongola boss. He looked at his guardians and nodded seriously.

"Well said, Primo," grinned G.

"I'm going to bite some herbivores to death!"

"Nufufu...I would have punched you if you rejected, Primo..."

"Leave it to us!"

"EXTREME GIRL PROTECTING!"

"I just wanna go home!"

"I've got your back, Giotto!" smiled Cozart.

"And we've got to get out of here," said Reborn coolly.

"T-That's right, Primo-san!" squeaked Shoichi, sweat dripping down his face. Spanner yawned and unwrapped another sweet.

The sound of clapping echoed throughout the arena. Everyone looked at Byakuran who was smiling evilly.

"I would agree to leave soon but before you do that, I would like you all to hear me out, especially you, Daemon-chan," sang Byakuran happily.

"What do you want you b*******d?"

"Hm...Well, I'm opening negotiations now. Hand Uni over to me and I'll spare your wife, what was her name again, Elena? That's right, Elena. Such a pretty name..." sighed Byakuran in mock sadness.

Daemon's heart stopped a beat. Even Primo looked surprised.

"WHAT THE H*** HAVE YOU DONE TO HER YOU F******** B********?" roared Daemon in rage. The ground trembled as he clutched his weapon tightly. He glared hatefully at Byakuran. A deadly aura surrounded him. Mukuro growled as well. Chrome trembled.

"What have you done to Elena?" yelled Giotto in anger, his fist clenched. Giotto knew that Elena had volunteered to go on a solitary journey to find information regarding news about the Simon rings. If anything happened to her, Giotto would not be able to live with himself.

Byakuran smirked. "Beautiful expression, Dae-chan,"

"SHUT UP AND TELL ME WHAT YOU'VE DONE WITH HER!"

"Hm...If you really want to know. I sent some of my men to hunt her down at wherever she was. She was good. It took me half a year to track her down but I won in the end and dispatched some of my men to ah...do whatever they wanted with her..." said Byakuran. His guardians snickered.

"You f******* b********" snarled G angrily. Even though he and Daemon never saw eye to eye, this wasn't something even Daemon deserved, no matter how much of a jerk he was. Even Alaude looked angry. Uni glanced at Reborn who nodded his head.

"I'M. GOING. TO. ," snarled the Mist Guardian dangerously. A dark mist surrounded him. Beside him, Mukuro was also emitting a dark aura. Even though that woman wasn't his real mother, she was nice to both him and Chrome and so, Mukuro felt a sense of duty to protect her.

"Ah but Dae-chan, if you kill me now, no one will be able to stop those men right now! You see, in exchange for her life, I'm asking you to hand me Uni-chan. Uni-chan, you hear that?" sang Byakuran happily, his arms outstretched. "I'll give you 10 seconds!"

"Primo! What should we do?" hissed Shoichi in panic.

"10"

"We can't hand over the girl!" snapped G in anger.

"9"

"VOIIII! HURRY UP AND MAKE A CHOICE!" roared Squalo.

"8"

"LET ME RIP THAT B******** HEAD OFF AND BOIL IT IN A POT!" snarled Daemon who was being held back by Cozart and Alaude.

"7"

Giotto slapped his head. What the heck was he supposed to do at a situation like this?

"6"

"Time's ticking." pointed Reborn.

"5"

"We can hear that thanks!" snapped G impatiently.

"4"

"I'm sorry, I thought you were deaf," smirked Reborn.

"3"

"Primo-san, don't worry about it..." whispered Uni with a comforting smile.

"2"

"W-What do you mean?"

"1"

"They're here..."

"0! Time's up! Have you made your choice yet, Gio-chan?" asked Byakuran happily.

"I—" started Giotto before being rudely cut off by Reborn.

"Time's up for you Byakuran. It's time we left."

"Hm? Didn't you hear me, Reborn? I said –"

"Yes yes I know what you said but I took care of that already. You see, you forgot Uni had the power of foresight. And you call yourself her childhood friend," snorted the hitman sarcastically. Everyone looked at him with surprise. Daemon stopped struggling.

Understanding dawned upon Byakuran's face and his cursed. Reborn smirked and turned to the Vongola.

"Don't worry everyone. In fact, I think you've meet this idiot before," said Reborn as he picked up a rock and threw it as hard as he could towards a nearby tree.

"Ouch Mr. Reborn. That hurt. I'm tearing up," came a monotone voice. To everyone's shock, the illusion disappeared and two figures were seen. One a young boy and another a woman's.

"Shishishi...Its that stupid frog..." muttered Bel.

"Aunt Elena, I'm tearing up. Mr. Reborn is a bully," said Fran boredly.

"It's alright Fran. The rock barely touched you," chuckled the woman.

"E-Elena..." whispered Daemon gently, his posture relaxing tremendously. Elena waved and ran towards where he and his children stood.

"Daemon! I've missed you, Mukuro and Chrome so much!" said Elena happily as she embraced her husband.

"Me too, Elena, me too. I was so worried," sighed Daemon softly.

"CAN YOU TWO PLEASE WAIT UNTIL WE GO HOME? THIS ISN'T THE TIME!" roared G, his veins twitching in annoyance. Hayato sighed and slapped his forehead. He took back all he said about Uncle Daemon. He was still an idiot.

"I agree with the pink head, Uncle Daemon. I'm having the hives now," came Fran's voice.

"Alright we really need to leave right now! Asari, Knuckle, I'm entrusting Uni to you at the moment. Shoichi! How do we get out of here?" yelled Giotto in panic. Relief aside, they still had to escape.

"Um..."

"Just ignite all your Vongola rings towards that thing over there and we'll be good to go," replied Reborn coolly. "You might want to hurry it up."

"I won't let you all escape!" roared Byakuran in anger. "Uni-chan!"

"Byakuran-sama, allow us to retrieve back Uni-sama!" said Kikyo with impatience.

"Go ahead."

With excitement in their eyes, the 6 Funeral Wreaths aimed straight for the group only to be blocked by Roll's spikes.

"Hurry it up, herbivores," growled Kyoya impatiently. Alaude's mouth twitched and nodded. Lifting up his Vongola ring, he ignited it with ease along with Giotto and his guardians. With a nod, Uni did the same with her pacifier and in a bright flash, they were gone.

"I will get you back, Uni-chan. Just you wait!" growled the Milliefiore boss as he slammed his fist into the nearby wall, his eyes filled with deep hatred.

**DONE FOR TODAY! IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, I'M GOING TO REVEAL EVERYTHING (OKAY NOT EVERYTHING) BUT THOSE PARTS IN WHICH SHOICHI AND SPANNER AND HOW THEY KNEW BYAKURAN AND ALL THOSE STUFF. ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR READING MY STODY AND REVIEWING! I LOVE YOU GUYS! :D P.S I MAY UPDATE THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING ONCE IN A WHILE WHEN I GET MOTIVATED. HOHOHO. POTATOES GALORE! K BYE.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews even though I've been a real jerk to update! Many thanks to those who still read and review and waited for me to update! I really love you guys and I mean it! I really don't know how to show my gratitude so I thought about writing an omake since that's all I can do. That's why as a show of gratitude, I've decided that I'm going to do an omake for the 590****th**** reviewer. This means I'll write an omake on anything you want for the next chapter. : ) I'll also do another omake now and then for any of you guys so long as you tell me what you want. (PM or in the reviews). I hope that's okay. :D Regarding Tsuna's return, I get a lot of reviews asking when Tsuna will return. Hm...lemme see about it okay. ;)**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

**Author's Note: **_**This writing means a flashback**_

Chapter 27: Friends

"B-Byakuran-s-sama, I-I apologize," stuttered the Cervello woman, her heart pounding with fear as she bowed before Byakuran. "I-I d-didn't k-know that A-Arcobaleno would show up..." The woman's hand shook.

Byakuran was silent. "Hm...I was disappointed Cervello-chan. _You _were the one who was supposed to prevent the Vongola from escaping with my Vongola ring."

"B-But the A-Arcobaleno, Reborn was there a-and he-"

"Don't mention that name in front of me ever again," thundered the Milliefiore boss, hate and anger radiating from him. The Cervello woman swallowed and bowed her head, her apology stuck in her throat.

Byakuran sighed. "Hm...but I guess it's not your fault this happened..." muttered the man, his arms behind his back. "I guess it would be nice of me to let this go," continued the man to himself. The Cervello woman relaxed and her tensed posture dropped.

Her joy however, was short as Byakuran suddenly turned around and stabbed her in her stomach, malice written all over his face.

"B-B-Bya-ku-ran...sa-ma..." gasped the lady before falling to the ground, blood streaming out of her wound.

"But I'm in a bad mood and I am very disappointed in you...I could care less for the rules of the Mafia right now," said the man coldly as he turned around .

Byakuran clenched his fist tightly and slammed it into the nearby wall, breaking it in the process. His hand shook but the young man held his ground, eyes wide with anger. A lot of things ran through his head as he thought of his next move. Behind him, his guardians huddled around each other and watched him warily. They had failed to bring him Uni and were afraid of his rage. Bluebell peeked at the Cervello on the ground and quickly looked away, sweat dripping down her face. Daisy clutched his bunny tighter.

"B-Byakuran-sama. Please forgive us for our foolishness. We've failed your command," apologized Kikyo, his voice deep with regret and bitterness. He was bowing solemnly.

"..." said Torikabuto.

"Igjit! I was a fool! I was too late!" cussed Zakuro as he too slammed his fist into the ground. He had been so confident about defeating the Vongola and yet when the time came, he had failed.

Byakuran was silent for a few moments. He then turned around and smiled. "It's no big deal. Their escape this time was lucky for them. It won't happen the next time hm?" said the man. Despite his smile, his guardians could feel the 'I'll f******* kill you the next time you fail' aura around him. They quickly nodded their heads and his smile relaxed. Byakuran then opened a packet of marshmallows and started chomping them down.

"Byakuran-sama, what are your orders?" asked Kikyo politely.

"Retrieve Uni back no matter what the cost. I don't care if I have to answer to the Vendicare, just bring her back to me! The Vongola rings are second priority," said Byakuran.

"Boo! Uni this! Uni that! I'm sick and tired of this Uni girl! What do you need her for anyways? Just kill her already!" growled Bluebell angrily. Her patience had reached a point and she was getting very annoyed with Byakuran's obsession with the girl.

To her utmost surprise, Byakuran dropped his marshmallow packet and pointed his hand towards her, as if aimed to kill her. "Say that again and I _will _most definitely kill you," snarled the Milliefiore boss, a dark aura surrounding him. Bluebell whimpered and fell to the ground, her eyes wide with fear. This was the first time Byakuran had done something like this.

Kikyo placed a reassuring arm around her, something Bluebell returned. "Our apologies, Byakuran-sama. Bluebell didn't mean to say that. We're all just curious as to why Uni-sama is that important," said Kikyo politely. He was the one who kept the peace between the Funeral Wreaths.

Byakuran massaged his head and took a deep breath. "Hm...The importance of the Sky Arcobaleno? Well..." started the Milliefiore boss.

**WITH THE VONGOLA FAMILY**

The room was silent as the Vongola guardians looked at their unfortunate prey. Upon arriving back in the base, Giotto had called for an immediate meeting, forcing all the Varia and the children out of the meeting room. Everyone except his guardians, Reborn and Uni were allowed in that room. Now, the said prey was wishing he could teleport.

"When Spanner and I were children, we lived in a village in the outskirts of this country. Spanner and I both lost our parents in a bandit raid long ago and were taken in by an orphanage in that village. There, we met Byakuran," said Shoichi with his eyes closed.

"_S-Spanner. I-It's kind of weird here, isn't it? I miss h-h-home," sniffed a young Irie Shoichi. He was short and had messy red hair. His glasses were fogged up and tears streamed down his face as he clung on to his companion's shirt. _

_Spanner forced a smile and patted Shoichi on his head reassuringly. "Don't cry Shoichi. It's going to be fun here. Think about all the robots we can create here!" said Spanner softly. He had neat blonde hair and a pair of broken goggles on his head. A piece of candy stuck out of his mouth. _

_Shoichi sniffled again. "B-B-But—" _

"_Oya oya what do we have here? Sho-chan crying?" came a voice. The two boys turned around only to see a young boy walk in. He had white hair messier than Shoichi and a purple tattoo below his left eye. His clothes were dirty and he had an easy going smile on his face. He was slightly shorter than Spanner._

"_Shoichi is scared of new places. Don't mind him," said Spanner simply as though stating a fact. Shoichi's face turned red. His mother had told him several times that men should not show tears. In his old village, his friends used to pick on him because of this. Byakuran laughed._

"_So Sho-chan is a soft hearted guy hm? That's good that's good! I think people should cry more often! By the way, do you have any marshmallows on you? I love them," said Byakuran as he plopped down on the ground lazily. _

"_Nope. I've got candy though. Can't live without them," said Spanner as he too sat down beside Byakuran and produced a handful of candy. Byakuran chuckled and took one._

"_Blehhhh. This is why I prefer marshmallows," said the young man after taking a bite. He sighed sadly._

"_E-Erm...I-I have t-them. M-M-Marshmallows I mean..." muttered Shoichi shyly. With a shaky hand, he pulled out the goods and handed them to a delighted Byakuran who accepted them gratefully._

"_Ahhhh that's the stuff! I have a dream of opening a shop selling nothing but marshmallows! Thanks Sho-chan! You're not that bad after all!" laughed the boy as he licked his fingers contently. "I think I'll keep calling you Sho-chan and you Span-chan! Let's be buddies!" _

"_Span-chan..." muttered Spanner._

_Shoichi smiled and wiped his tears. "What about you? What's your name?" asked Shoichi shyly._

_The young boy was silent for a moment before looking at Shoichi and with a smile said "Byakuran."_

The Vongala were quiet as everyone looked at Shoichi intently. The pressure of so many eyes looking at him made Shoichi sweat. Nonetheless, he continued.

"For a year or so, Byakuran was our best friend. The three of us did everything and I mean everything together. We got in trouble together, made robots together and even stole food together (sometimes). 'Inseparable' was the word the caretaker used for us. Things stayed that way until Uni arrived," said Shoichi with a strain in his voice. Everyone's attention immediately went to Uni who was sitting quietly in a corner, her eyes closed.

"Ah! I didn't mean it in a bad way! Don't get me wrong! Uni-chan is a very, very nice person! Uni-chan did not stay with us at all. At that time, Aria-san made Reborn her caretaker and since Reborn was a busy hitman, he'd dump her in the village till he came back."

"I didn't 'dump' her. I merely placed her under someone else's care!" growled the hitman as he glared murderously at Shoichi who gulped.

"A-A-Anyways, Uni-chan became part of our little group and we had a lot of fun together but both she and Byakuran had a very close bond. The both of them were like Spanner and I. They'd run off to play in the forest or the sea. It was like the both of them were in a world that was different from us. They had that bond Spanner and I could not have with them."

"3 years later, Spanner and I were adopted by a family of a neighbouring city and were moved out of the orphanage. That's how we met Tsunayoshi-kun and the rest. After we left, we never saw Byakuran or Uni again," finished Shoichi quietly, his eyes reflecting great sadness. Spanner patted his shoulder.

"Well at this point I can't say I'm surprised," said Giotto honestly. Everyone nodded.

"Wait wait wait. What about the whole future thing you guys planned with Tsuna?" asked G with a frown.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" roared Knuckle. Alaude glared at him while Daemon chuckled.

"Please hold on for a moment! We're not finished yet," said Shoichi, his fingers twiddling with one another.

"In fact, this was the appetizer," added Spanner. Shoichi nodded. In the far corner, Uni smiled. Reborn shot her a suspicious look but said nothing.

"Let me start with what Tsunayoshi-kun told me 2 or 3 years ago..."

"_Shoichi, can I speak to you for a moment?" asked a voice quietly. Shoichi looked up from his book and smiled. _

"_Ah Tsuna! How may I help you?" asked the young boy happily. He had been sitting under his favourite tree reading a newly purchased engineering book. School was over and this was his safe haven from the world, away from the world. _

_Tsuna grinned sheepishly and sat down in front of him. "Hayato-nii and Takeshi-nii will be looking for me soon so I'm going to try and speed this up. I'm here to talk to you about the future," said Tsuna seriously. _

_Shoichi blinked. Was this a prep talk? "The future? Well in my opinion, I think your future is secured! I mean your dad is the Vongola boss and as his son, you're next in line!" said Shoichi enviously. Tsuna had a planned future while he had no idea what to do. _

_Tsuna shook his head. "Not that type of future! I'm talking about the future, future!" said Tsuna making everyone confused. He scratched his head while Shoichi blinked at him._

"_I'm going to tell you something and you're going to think I'm crazy but I'm not," said Tsuna with a sigh. He took a deep breath and leaned against the tree. "When I was a child; when my siblings and I still lived on the streets, I was hit by Lambo's 10 year bazooka. You know the one that sends people to the future? Yeah that thing," said Tsuna quietly._

"_Well I was sent to the future but it was weird. I never told anyone about this but when I went to the future, it was dark. I didn't know where I was. I remember feeling around and feeling wood, flowers and cloth. A pair of gloves were beside me. I heard crying, a lot of crying. I heard my Uncle G tell my Papa 'Don't cry Giotto. We'll get that b******* soon'. Back then I had no idea what was going on. I was so scared but 5 minutes passed and I was back to the present. Of course, I forgot all about it but I dreamt about it one night and it made me think. What __**had**__ I seen?" said Tsuna seriously._

_Shoichi stared at his friend. He knew Tsuna well and while Tsuna was a fun guy to be and quite dumb sometimes, this Tsuna was serious. His eyes were not joking. Shoichi felt his heart pound. He also knew about the 10 year bazooka. Heck he had seen it in action before. _

_Was what Tsuna saying true?_

_Shoichi opened his mouth to speak but shut it again. Tsuna had a faraway look on his face. _

"_TSUNA! WHERE HAVE YOU GONE TO?" came a loud voice, making both Shoichi and Tsuna jump._

"_You lost him again?" growled a voice menacingly. _

"_Kufufu...how irresponsible..."_

"_Shaddup!"_

"_Now now let's all calm down!"_

"_My siblings are here! Ahhh! What time is it? I'm sorry Shoichi! I'll speak to you about this again!" yelled Tsuna as he stood up quickly, falling down in the process. Blushing red, he waved his hand and ran off to his siblings. _

"After that day, Tsuna-kun came up with an idea. He wanted to travel to the future to see what was going on. And he did. Spanner and I waited for those 5 dreaded minutes to pass and when it did, Tsuna came back but his face was deathly pale as though he'd seen Death face to face. He told us that the future was gone. Nothing was there. Everything he had treasured was destroyed and humanity was dead. He was shaking so much Spanner and I had to make sure he didn't pass out. He uttered a name, 'Byakuran'" said Shoichi, his hands shaking. "That was the first I heard of that name in so many years. My blood went cold."

"Of course Tsuna-kun had to do something. He came up with a plan to go about a year or so into the future to see what happened. Spanner tinkered with the bazooka and sent Tsuna there. Later on we took turns to time travel. The first piece of bad news Tsuna came home with was that someone had to die," said Shoichi.

Giotto who had been silent the whole time raised his hand. "What do you mean someone had to die? Tsuna was the one who died wasn't he? He..." said Giotto before trailing off. Cozart patted him comfortingly.

"That is where you are wrong, Primo-san. It's my fault," whispered Uni quietly, her eyes sad. Everyone looked at her. "The truth was Tsunayoshi was not the one who was supposed to die that day. It was you," said Uni. The room was silent as everyone blinked.

"WHAT?" yelled G in disbelief. He glanced around the room in confusion. Even Alaude looked confused. Asari and Knuckle frowned. Daemon raised an eyebrow. Lampo whimpered. Cozart was stunned.

"What?" repeated Giotto blurly. He was supposed to die?

Uni nodded slowly. "I saw a future where you died instead of Tsuna because of Byakuran, Primo-san. When Tsuna asked, I told him and in order to save your life, he thought of a way to change that future. He succeeded in the end but it came with a cost; a life for a life. Tsuna-kun accepted this and was determined it happened," said Uni.

The room was silent once again as Giotto took in the new harsh reality. He was shocked. He could not understand why Tsuna would do such a thing. Weren't fathers supposed to die for their children?

Shoichi nodded. "That's right. Tsuna-kun came up with various plans for this to happen. He planned the hideouts, the weapons and even when Reborn and Uni would come to help. Remember when Talbot made all your weapons? Tsuna-kun had gone to the future to obtain information on the boxes before coming back to pass the information on to Talbot."

"Tsuna..." whispered Asari as he clutched the chair for support. Knuckle had manly tears running down his cheek. Alaude had turned away from the group. Daemon bit his lip, his arms folded. Lampo sniffled. G placed a comforting arm around his best friend. Cozart patted him.

Reborn on the other hand tried to stifle a snort. While everyone here was busy crying for his no good student, the said person was most probably out there making a mess out of something. (This turned out to be true because at that moment, the said person had tripped over his feet and had slammed into a nearby tree)

"Shoichi, Spanner , Uni. I need to know something. What is Byakuran's power and why is he after you?" asked Giotto seriously.

"Byakuran has the Mare ring. This enables him to travel to parallel worlds," said Shoichi.

"Parallel Worlds?" repeated the whole crew.

"A parallel world is a world where you made another choice. The future isn't set in stone and these worlds show what would have happened if you did something differently. Who knows? Maybe there's a world where Tsunayoshi is your great-great grandson or something? Byakuran has the ability to travel to these worlds," said Shoichi expertly.

"Ohhhhh," said everyone in unison.

"Byakuran-san is after Uni because she is the Sky Arcobaleno. I'm sure you've heard of the Tri-Ni-Sette before?" asked Reborn boredly. Giotto nodded.

"Well if we combine the Vongola, the Pacifiers and the Mare together, you get the Tri-Ni-Sette. Once activated, its power can prove to be deadly, the destruction of the whole world. Uni is the only one who can unleash its deadly force. Tsuna knew this and made Uni disappear from the world for a short time before her presence was needed once more," finished the hitman with a yawn.

"Byakuran now knows she's here and will stop at nothing to take her back. If he succeeds, humanity will die," said Shoichi flatly. Reborn and Spanner nodded.

"Which is why Primo-san, please protect me!" cried Uni, her eyes pleading. Giotto gulped. How could he say no to those eyes?

"Don't worry about it, Uni-chan. Our boss may be an idiot at times but he'll do it," said G with a smile.

"That's right! PROTECTING TO THE EXTREME!" roared Knuckle enthusiastically. Asari laughed and nodded.

"Well everyone, you've heard G so we've got no choice now. Protect Uni even if it means your life you got that? While you're at it, you have permission to take down any Funeral Wreaths along the way," smiled Giotto.

"Nufufu...I was waiting for that..." grinned the illusionist.

"My favourite thing to do..." chuckled Alaude.

'_These people are weird'_ thought Shoichi with a gulp.

"A-Aye..." muttered Lampo pathetically.

"Thank you," sighed Uni peacefully. She looked at Reborn who nodded back at her. From his look, Uni knew that Reborn knew what she had just felt.

"_He's coming."_

**THAT'S IT FOR TODAY! I'M REALLY SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING OFTEN AND THEN PUTTING UP A TALKING CHAPTER BUT FROM NEXT CHAP ONWARDS, I'LL TRY TO CUT EVERYTHING DOWN. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING MY STORY! AND PLEASE LEMME KNOW ABOUT THE SPECIAL OMAKE. I FELT LIKE WRITING ONE ABOUT HOW DAEMON GOT MARRIED BUT I'LL DO WHAT YOU GUYS WANT ME TO DO SO LEAVE A COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW! UNTIL THEN! **


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR!**

**I'm really sorry for not updating in so long. Here's the next chapter. Be warned that this does not follow the main storyline and I've tinkered with it here and there. :3**

**Author's Note : **_**This writing means a flashback**_

Chapter 28: Discovery

A young man stepped into a lonely, green clearing right smack in the middle of a forest. He had spiky brown hair and large brown eyes that were both gentle yet firm. The large cloak draped over his shoulders fluttered in the light wind as he looked around his surroundings with a thoughtful look.

After observing his surroundings for a few minutes, he smiled and placed his hand on a large oak tree on his right. The ground rumbled and after waiting awhile, a set of spiral stairs leading into the ground formed.

"I knew it..." muttered the man with a wide grin on his handsome face. He then descended the stairs and walked into what seemed like an ancient tomb. The Shimon family crest marked the walls and the man found himself staring at the portraits of the previous Shimon family bosses. After walking for some time, he finally came to a door that had both the Vongola and the Shimon family crest.

The young man raised his eyebrows in surprise. Why was the Vongola crest here? Did Giotto himself know about it? Making a mental note to ask Reborn about that later, the man put on a pair of gloves and soon, the place was filled with a warm orange light. He then placed his hands on the door and activated his Sky flames. The door glowed and rumbled open. A mystical bright light filled the young man's eyes and he raised his hands to shield his hands from the bright glow.

With a joyful smile, he whispered "I finally found it."

**WITH THE MILLIEFIORE**

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the room as Byakuran paced around, his face wiped clean of any emotion. Only if one looked close, they could see that his eyes were a mixture of anger and sadness. He stopped pacing and looked out the glass window, his hand flatly pressed against the glass.

"_Let's get married when we grow up, Byakuran! That's a promise!" said a little girl as she held out her pinkie finger happily. "Pinkie swear!"_

_The young boy looked at her in surprise for a short moment before he too held out his pinkie finger , a wide grin on his face. "Of course, Uni-chan! How can I say no when you ask me like that?"_

_The three year old girl laughed and the two children made the promise. _

"_But Uni-chan, you do know that if one of us breaks the promise, both of us will die right?" asked Byakuran with an easy going smile. _

_Uni nodded and grinned. "It just means that the both of us have to keep the promise right? I can do that," replied Uni confidently. She gently placed a white flower on a wreath she was making. With a smile, she got up and ran over to where Byakuran sat. She then placed the flower wreath gently onto Byakuran's head. "I picked the white flowers specifically to match your white hair. Now you look just like an angel!" laughed Uni excitedly._

_Byakuran's cheeks turned a slight pink as he laughed and stood up. "Not quite yet, Uni-chan. I don't have wings. Have you seen an angel without wings?" _

_Uni frowned as the thought crossed her mind. "No. But one day you'll grow wings I'm sure! I've seen it in a dream before!" said Uni naively. "I'm sure you'll be a beautiful angel," sighed Uni jealously. _

"_If Uni-chan wants me to be beautiful, then I shall!" said Byakuran positively._

Now, Byakuran closed his eyes and clenched his fist. After a moment, he chuckled coldly and reached for the phone.

"Cervello-chan, can you please be so kind to make a call to the Vindice? There's someone in their custody that I need as soon a possible. And tell them, I won't take no as an answer."

**BACK WITH THE VONGOLA**

"We've got to get to the forest," said Uni, her eyes unfocused. Shoichi and Spanner held onto her in case she fell over.

"Why the forest?"

"I saw it in a vision once. It's the place where everything will be determined."

"We have to move. Now!" said Reborn suddenly with a hint of urgency. He reached for his gun and readied himself, his eyes alert.

"What?"

"I agree with this trash. You can feel it too right Trash Giotto?" growled Xanxus. His eyes were wild and cold. He too had his guns at the ready.

"Giotto what's he talking about?" asked Asari with a confused look.

Giotto frowned and narrowed his eyes. "I can feel the presence of an approaching flame. It's coming in fast and it doesn't seem friendly. The Milliefiore are coming," replied Giotto flatly. He straightened his posture and the air around him switched to boss mode. "Alaude, Daemon. Both of you take Kyoya, Mukuro and Chrome out of the base and try to stop the intruders. Please take Fran along with you too."

"I thought you'd never ask," chuckled Daemon happily, excitement on his face. Alaude nodded coldly.

"I love a good fight," said Mukuro happily. He looked at his younger sister and nodded encouragingly. Chrome smiled back at her brother. Kyoya yawned and looked away boredly.

"It's time for us to have some bonding time, Uncle Daemon. How about a hug?" asked Fran sarcastically, his eyes bored.

"How about I hang your head on the wall instead?"

"Shishishi. The prince will join the useless frog in this journey," chuckled Bel sadistically.

"Bel-senpai. I don't like your tone. You sound like a pervert."

"Shut up you idiot," growled Bel as he flung some knives at Fran.

"Knuckle, you and Lampo are to go with Levi and Lussuria to scout the area," continued Giotto.

"I GOT IT! EXTREME SCOUTING!" roared Knuckle.

"The way your eyes burn with passion scares me sometimes..." sighed Lampo.

"Levi-chan~ Let us strengthen our friendship together!" sang Lussuria as he held out his hands for a hug.

"G-Get away from me you weirdo!"

"Asari, G. You should go with Squalo to scout the Western side."

"Yes boss!" said Asari cheerfully as he saluted.

"Cheh. I'm paired with two idiots..." grumbled G as he folded his arms.

"VOIIIIIIII I'LL KILL THE BOTH OF YOU!" roared Squalo wildly.

"I think you're getting the whole concept of working together wrong..." muttered Lampo with a shake of his head.

"Like I said, two idiots."

"Anyways, Takeshi and Hayato, both of you should go with Dino and take the Eastern side. Understand?" said Giotto apologetically.

"I'm paired with two idiots too," sighed Hayato, a black cloud forming over his head. Takeshi laughed and slapped him on his back.

"Let's go and have some fun!"

"It seems like we'll be working together again, guys," said Dino happily. As he made his way to his new partners, he slipped and fell on the carpet. Hayato sighed.

"Cozart, you take your family and meet all of us at the forest. It's too dangerous to travel in a large group. It'll be easier to spot us all," said Giotto.

Cozart nodded and did a thumbs up. "I'll take Lal Mirch and the Poison Scorpion as well."

"AND I'LL EXTREMELY TAKE LAMBO AND GO WITH HAYATO AND COOOOOO!" roared Ryohei, his fist clenched in excitement.

"H-How about w-we just sit here and hide—" started Lambo just as Kyoya jumped protectively in front of him, tonfa's in hand. Just as he raised his weapons, a loud bang echoed throughout the whole room and smoke filled the area.

"What the he—" yelled G. He had jumped in front of Hayato and Takeshi who had been standing nearby.

"They're here!" exclaimed Lal Mirch. She reached for her weapons. Despite her injuries, she wasn't going to stay back and rest.

"Kyoya!" came Alaude's voice, his eyes slightly widened in alarm. He scanned the room for his son.

"KYOYA!" roared Ryohei.

"Lambo's dead!" squeaked Lampo, his hands shaking. Levi hit him on the head.

"Don't say that of your own son!"

"I'm alive. Such a weak attack has no effect on me," came Kyoya's cold voice. On a closer look, one could see small pieces of rock sticking out from his tonfa's. "This guy's a Storm ring holder," said Kyoya.

"I'm alive!" squealed Lambo, tears streaming down his face.

"Not bad for a brat like you, idjit," came a cold sneering voice. The smoke cleared and a man with red hair appeared before the Vongola.

"Zakuro..." muttered Reborn with an annoyed look on his face. "Primo. I say we get out of here right now. We're wasting time."

Giotto nodded. "Daemon, Alaude. I'm leaving him to you, understood?" said Giotto sharply. The two nodded. Kyoya and Mukuro exchanged annoyed glances and gripped their weapons tightly.

"Chrome, I need you to take your mother and go with Primo," said Daemon hurriedly. Chrome looked surprised.

"But what about you?"

"Nufufu...I'll stay here and eliminate this b****** with your brother. You have to protect Elena, understood?" said Daemon gently as he quickly ruffled his daugther's hair.

"But..."

"It's alright, Chrome. We won't die here. I'll come back and see you again," said Mukuro with a smile. To be honest, he was more worried about his sister than he was for himself. She had nearly died once when he was nearly killed by Byakuran and he didn't want that to happen again. Chrome looked at his doubtfully but nodded.

"Take care, Daemon," whispered Elena as she pecked his cheek. Daemon nodded.

"Ugh disgusting," muttered Zakuro. Alaude stepped forward.

"Primo, get out now before I arrest all of you," snarled the skylark in annoyance. Kyoya nodded, his eyes annoyed.

"This way, Primo! There's an exit here!" yelled Shoichi as both he and Spanner pointed to an empty hallway.

"Idjit. I can't let you escape!" growled Zakuro as he took a step forward.

"We can't let you do that. Any intruders will be arrested for disturbing the peace of this place!" growled Alaude menacingly. He had activated his Vongola ring and was glaring at Zakuro.

"Idjit. More small fry to clean up..." growled Zakuro angrily.

"TAKE CARE KYOYA, MUKUROOOOO!" roared Ryohei passionately as he waved.

"Shut up before I bite you to death!" snapped Kyoya back.

"He never changes..." muttered Mukuro.

"Senpai won't you wish me good luck too?" asked Fran boredly. Bel chuckled.

"Who the he** would want to say that to you. I hope you die soon," said Bel happily.

"I hope you do too senpai. I'll be the first at your funeral and I promise to cry."

Giotto and the rest of the guardians took the opportunity to run out of the base. Reborn chuckled.

"No wonder he's feared around the mafia world," said Reborn. Giotto nodded and smiled.

"What are you talking about?" asked G with a frown. Uni smiled as well.

"Zakuro has the ability to create invisible Storm flames that can only be detected by certain people or those who have Sky flames. Alaude-san noticed them immediately and had created a barrier of his own using his Cloud flames," explained the Sky Arcobaleno.

"Alaude's the best we have!" laughed Asari cheerfully.

"I EXTREMELY AGREE!" roared Ryohei.

"VOIIIII! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO SPLIT UP HERE! IF WE GO OUT LIKE THIS, WE'LL ATTRACT TOO MUCH ATTENTION!" screamed Squalo.

"Why don't you just scream our entire plan to the Milliefiore?" snapped G in annoyance.

"I agree with this moron. We have to split up now," said Reborn seriously. Giotto nodded and looked at his comrades.

"Just like the old days, guys," said Giotto with a smile. Even so, the air around him was serious. His guardians nodded.

"Hayato, take care of those two idiots. Don't die on me, understand?" said G seriously. Hayato snorted and nodded proudly.

"I think you'll die before me," replied Hayato. G smacked him on the head.

"See you, dad! Show them your awesome moves!" laughed Takeshi. Asari nodded and the two bumped fist.

"Lambo. Don't cry, understand?" said Lampo with a gentle smile. The air around him was different. This Lampo had an air of confidence and calmness. This was the Lampo that followed the Vongola boss around on missions. Lambo sniffed and nodded his head.

"See you...Dad," muttered Lambo, his cheeks turning red. Lampo smiled and ruffled his hair.

"KICK SOME EXTREME BUTT, DAD!" roared Ryohei.

"YOU TOO RYOHEI! MAKE ME EXTREMELY PROUDDD!" roared Knuckle.

"Okay enough with the touching scenes. Let's go!" said Reborn in annoyance. He grabbed Uni's hand and led her to the entrance.

"Take care, Giotto!" yelled G before he ran off in the opposite direction. Giotto nodded.

"Cozart, take the other exit! It'll be safer for your kids!" said Giotto urgently.

"Alright! Good luck, Giotto!"

"Oi scum. Get ready. Here they come," growled Xanxus, his gun at the ready. Giotto closed his eyes and when he opened them, his eyes were a bright orange. A Sky flame flickered warmly on his forehead.

"Let's go."

**WITH BIANCHI AND CO**

"Hold on, was I-Pin with you when we left?" asked Bianchi as they ran to the exit. Lal Mirch looked at her for a moment.

"No. I-Pin said she was going to get something and that we shouldn't follow her," said Fuuta thoughtfully. "She seemed to be in a hurry."

"Is that so...I wonder where she is..." muttered Bianchi worriedly.

"She'll be fine. I-Pin is ranked 3 out of 52,262 people in the mafia as the most promising assassin. She can take care of herself," said Fuuta confidently.

"I hope so..." muttered Lal Mirch.

**SOMEWHERE IN TOWN**

"Uncle Kawahira! They've begun their attack!" yelled I-Pin, sweat dripping from her face. She looked out the window and gulped.

The man called Uncle Kawahira slurped his ramen noodles calmly. He wore a pair of round spectacles, short white hair and donned a green kimono. "Calm down, I-Pin. Panicking like that won't get you anywhere," replied the man calmly.

"But Uncle this isn't the time to be eating ramen noodles!"

"Nonsense, I-Pin. Ramen can be eaten anytime, anyplace and at any moment."

"She's right you know. There's a war out there," came a chuckle. Kawahira's eyes glanced sharply at the entrance of his shop.

"Oh it's you."

"How rude. Give me a happier greeting at least," muttered Talbot with a sigh. Kawahira gulped down his noodles and gave a contented sigh.

"What do you want, Talbot."

"The young Vongola heir has found the Simon rings," announced Talbot proudly.

"No surprise there. I pretty much told you the location. All you had to do was send him there to collect them," replied Kawahira flatly. Talbot chuckled.

"Then you should know that Vongola Primo and his guardians are on their way to the forest with Byakuran on their tail?"

"Yes. All I had to do was look out the window."

Talbot knocked Kawahira on the head with his cane. "This is serious, Kawahira, or should I say Checker Face. It's sort of your fault that all this is happening. If Byakuran knew, he would have had your head on the platter."

Kawahira snorted. "My fault? Is it my fault that Sepira and I were sent here with a duty to protect this ridiculous thing called the Tri-Ni-Sette? Is it my fault that these Arcobaleno are cursed?"

"It is kind of your fault they are cursed. After all, it was your own brilliant idea of having 7 representatives guard the Pacifiers with their life." Kawahira turned silent.

"Even so, it's not my fault Sepira's great granddaughter has decided to free the curse of the Arcobaleno at a hefty price. That was her own choice."

Talbot sighed sadly. "They're all the same, the Sky Arcobaleno. All of them always lived a short life."

Kawahira shook his head. "It doesn't matter. What happens happens. All I need to do is maintain the balance of the Tri-Ni-Sette. Anyways, why are YOU here?" Talbot's eyes twinkled mysteriously.

"I'll let you know when the time comes. But for now, I-Pin, I need you to escort Sawada Tsunayoshi to the forest. There's been a change of plans and he needs to be there by this afternoon. If he isn't, well let's just say it won't be pleasant," said Talbot merrily.

"Eh? Sawada-kun is alive? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?" asked I-Pin in surprise. Talbot laughed.

"Nope, he's alive and kicking. Oh and no one else knows about this so you have to be discreet about it, understand? I think Tsuna's planning on giving everyone a heart attack later on and I want to see that happen so keep it a secret," chuckled Talbot childishly. I-Pin nodded excitedly.

"Then I shall be off! See you later, Uncle Kawahira, Talbot-san!" cried I-Pin before exciting the shop.

"What a kid..." muttered Kawahira as he shook his head.

"Admit it, Kawahira. You're also looking forward to seeing Giotto and his guardians expressions when Tsuna appears. I know Reborn has a small video camera in his pocket just for that moment," chuckled Talbot as he slapped Kawahira on the back.

"Unlike you two, I have more pressing matters at hand. Speaking of which, I advise you to get out as soon as possible. The Vongola are going to run by here at any moment. Besides, don't YOU have anything better else to do?" snapped Kawahira.

"As a matter of fact, I do. It's about time I fixed the Vongola rings..." muttered the old man as he strolled out of the shop, leaving Kawahira to himself.

Kawahira sighed and reached for his pocket. He then pulled out the Segno Hell Ring and placed it on his finger and reached for the second bowl of ramen on his table.

"What a pain..." muttered the man as he stared out the window and started slurping his ramen noodles once again.

**That's it for today. I'm really sorry I haven't been updating recently so I understand if half of you are pissed off with me but I'm really sorry. I won't promise that I'm going to update everyday but I will try. I apologize if its short because after being on hiatus for so long, I've kinda forgotten what I was going to write. Haha. Don't worry though, I'll remember everything and reread the entire thing to make sure I don't confuse all of you.**

**As for this chapter, I apologize if it made you impatient, angry or confused but I will explain everything in due time. As for Tsuna's return, please be patient. I plan to make him appear sooner or later. **

**As for the next chapter, I'd be happy if you guys wrote down who you want to see fight each other as this is going to be the final battle of the entire story. Once this is over, I plan to write one-shots before ending the entire story so I'd be happy if you guys told me who want to see fight with one another. : )**

**Thanks so much to those who have been constantly reviewing my work. I'd like to especially shout out to those who have been with me since 2 years ago when I started 'Just Like The Sky'. You know who you are and I'm really grateful for your support even though I've been a real jerk recently. Thank you to all those who have just discovered my story as well! I've really enjoyed reading all your reviews as well as receiving personal messages or when you favourite my story! Thank you very much! :D**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR! **

**Hey guys. It's me again. I'm sorry for not updating often because well college has started and I have tons of assignments. I know it's not much of an excuse but it's true. I know a lot of you have been asking me update soon (you know who you are) and I'm sorry for not being able to fulfill your wishes. I will try to update when I have the time so please be patient. Anyways, thank you to the rest of you who have been reviewing the story for a long time and have constantly reviewed and kept up with my crap for about 2 years now. I love you all. 3 **

**Anyways, here's Chapter 29!**

Chapter 29: Parental Instincts

**WITH DAEMON**

"Alaude. Take Kyoya and get out of here. Uni mentioned that another Mare guardian was going to attack the Vongola mansion. Get there and stop him. Mukuro and I will take this guy down," said Daemon with a pleasant smile on his face. His eyes however were deadly.

Alaude nodded and in a blink of an eye, both he and Kyoya disappeared from sight.

"Idjit. Daisy's going to have to get his act together…" muttered Zakuro with a sigh. "Well at least I get to play with the infamous Daemon Spade. Torikabuto would do anything to change spots with me…"

"Nufufu…I just have one goal and that's to eliminate you pest," replied the Mist guardian calmly. Zakuro growled. "Now if you want to have a conversation, I'd advise you to stop firing your Storm flames at us. It is very rude," continued Daemon as he protected both him and Mukuro with his Mist flames from an invisible wall of flames by Zakuro.

"Idjit. I give you credit for sensing that, Vongola scum," chuckled Zakuro as he stretched his hands. He eyed Mukuro with great interest. "So this is your 'son' eh? I've heard a lot about this brat his sister. That their parents despised their daughter. Who blames them hm? I'd kill her too."

Before Mukuro could react, Daemon had his trident at Zakuro's throat, his eyes deadly. "These kids have nothing to do with those scum anymore. I won't let you say another word against _my _children."

Zakuro raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Idjit. Who knew Daemon Spade was such a doting father. It makes my blood boil at the thought of slaughtering them. I would love to see what you'd do," smirked the man. Daemon smiled.

"You don't have to wait. I can show you what I'll do right now," replied the illusionist flatly as the surroundings went dark.

Zakuro smiled. This was going to be fun.

**WITH ALAUDE**

At the Vongola mansion, a young boy with long green wavy hair looked at the huge building in front of him. His face was covered with stitches and was a pale color. In his hands he clutched a pink rabbit, something he held to his chest dearly. "Bubu, Daisy d-doesn't w-want to destroy the h-house," he whimpered miserably. A few seconds later though, his face changed and he grinned. "On the other hand, orders ARE orders and Byakuran's words are law…"

"Oh? Are you going to wreck more havoc?" asked a calm voice. Daisy whirled around only to find a cloaked figure, his cape fluttering in the light breeze.

"W-Who are you?" stammered the Mare ring holder. He could not make out the person's face.

"Nobody you should concern yourself with. I'm just here to stall time."

"S-Stall time? What d-d-does that mean?"

"You'll see."

Daisy frowned. This guy was starting to piss him off. He tightened his grip on his toy and a smirk crossed his face. He eyed his opponent with hunger in his eyes. Maybe he should take him down right now. The cloaked figure chuckled, snapping Daisy out of his thoughts.

"I can see it on your face that you're thinking of killing me now. Don't worry. I'm not your opponent. In fact, I think I'm going to leave now. They're coming soon…" said the figure as he turned around.

"I'm not letting you go!" yelled Daisy as he fired a beam of Sun flames at the figure. To his surprise, the person managed to dodge it and returned an attack of his own. The person then disappeared into the nearby forest and was nowhere to be seen.

"_S-Sky flames?" _thought the Mare guardian as he jumped out of the flame's way safely. Who in the world was that? Daisy had no time to ponder this question however as he was suddenly attacked by a barrage of needles.

"So you're the one they call Daisy. I'm going to bite you to death!" growled Kyoya who had suddenly appeared, tonfa's in hand and his hedgehog in tow.

"Kyoya, I told you not to be so rash. Your wounds have not healed yet," said Alaude flatly. "This is my prey. I WILL take him down."

"Shut up. Whoever disturbs the peace is an enemy of mine. I don't care what you say," replied Kyoya stubbornly. A vein in Alaude's head twitched. Sometimes he wished Kyoya didn't inherit this trait from his mother. (not knowing that this was something Kyoya actually inherited from both his parents)

"Kyoya. If you don't move, I'll knock you unconscious. Don't think I won't do it just because you're my son," said Alaude who had decided to resort to threatening. Kyoya growled and lowered his weapons. He knew Alaude would really do that.

"Fine."

"A-Are you t-two part of V-Vongola P-Primo's family?" asked Daisy nervously.

"It is of no concern of yours," replied Alaude calmly. Daisy eyed him.

"You are! I can see the Vongola ring on your finger. T-This is good. I-I can feel my blood rushing. I-I'm excited," murmured Daisy, his fingers trembling. "Byakuran said to destroy all Vongola guardians! Byakuran's word is law."

"I don't care much about what that man says. All I know is that I'm going to arrest you for disturbing the peace of this place!" growled the skylark as he whipped out his cuffs and twirled them around his finger.

"Fine by me! I love to kill," laughed Daisy maniacally. His nervous attitude was gone and in place, one of a crazed killer. He threw his toy and stroked his ring lovingly. "But this is unfair. It's a two against one battle. We need to add to the fun!" chuckled the man as he snapped his fingers. In an instance, both Kyoya and Alaude found themselves surrounded by Gola Mosca.

"Kyoya," said Alaude with a nod. Kyoya grinned and cracked his head to one side.

"I'm going to enjoy biting all of these flies one by one…" said the young lad with excitement in his eyes.

"Now, we can have fun…" said Alaude coldly, his eyes aimed at Daisy who returned his gaze with a smile.

"Let's go."

**WITH DAEMON**

"Tch. He got away," growled Daemon angrily, his eyes flashing. After engaging into battle with Zakuro, he had managed to overwhelm the guardian with his illusions but at one point, Zakuro managed to create a scene and had disappeared.

"Kufufu at least we managed to deal him some damage. He should not be able to pursue the others for the time being. Daemon swung his trident, splattering some blood onto the walls.

"Not so fast, Mukuro. I'll estimate that Zakuro will not be able to fight now but give him a few hours and he'll be perfectly fine. I'm sure that d**n Byakuran has some kind of healing material that will fix him right up," cussed Daemon darkly.

"That is true. Then we should return to where Chrome and the others are…" said Mukuro before both he and Daemon disappeared into the mist as well.

**WITH ALAUDE**

"Is that all Vongola Primo's cloud guardian has to offer?" taunted Daisy as he dodged Alaude's attack.

"That would be a death wish," replied the man calmly as he suddenly turned around and landed a kick on Daisy's stomach, knocking the Mare guardian into some nearby trees.

Daisy stood up and glared at Alaude. He pulled out his Box Animal and slammed his Mare ring into the opening. With a burst of light, a rhino surrounded by Sun flames came charging at Alaude who merely looked at it with bored eyes. Nothing ever fazed the man.

"Kyoya," barked the skylark as he placed an outstretched hand in the direction of where Kyoya was busy having a good time. Kyoya scowled and threw his pet hedgehog to his father; a feat Tsuna would have screamed 'ANIMAL ABUSE'. Even so, Roll was already used to this and squealed in delight. In another flash of light, the small little hedgehog propagated and in a few seconds created a barrier in front of Alaude. The rhino slammed into the spiked barrier and exploded, causing Daisy's box weapon to shatter.

With a loud scream of frustration, Daisy ripped open his jacket, revealing a small box weapon in the plae where his heart was. "Byakuran-sama has granted me unlimited power. With this, I shall be immortal!" growled the man as he brought his ring to the mouth of the box. Before Alaude could react, he was enveloped in another bright light. When the light died down, he saw that Daisy had transformed into a human/lizard hybrid surrounded by Sun flames. He also had a pair of Sun wings on his back.

"So you've finally decided to show your true colors monster," said Alaude coolly. He held his weapons at the ready. Both men then collided with one another, each trying their hardest to land an attack on their opponent.

"Too slow!" shrieked Daisy as he landed a blow on Alaude, knocking him to the ground with a loud boom. "How does it feel, Vongola? How does it feel to taste defeat?"

Alaude growled angrily, his eyes angry. Kyoya who was destroying the Gola Mosca one by one like he said felt a tinge of annoyance at his father.

"I will bring you down," replied Alaude as he charged once again. The box Daisy had just activated had improved his speed and attacks. Alaude glanced at Roll and nodded. The hedgehog squealed and pierced the funeral wreath, severing an arm and a leg from his body.

Daisy laughed, much to the annoyance of Alaude. "You forget, Vongola that Sun flames are flames of regeneration. When I said I was immortal, I wasn't kidding. My body can regenerate body parts multiple times. Just like when a lizard's tail is cut from its body. I am unstoppable!" said Daisy. He wasn't kidding, the part where his arm and leg had been severed was growing back, much to Alaude's disgust. He would never look at Knuckle the same way again.

"An abomination like you should definitely get arrested!"

"We'll see about that!" yelled Daisy. He pointed to the leg that had just been severed and the leg jumped up to attack Alaude, something he dodged just in time. Behind him, explosions echoed throughout the whole area as Kyoya went on one of his many killing sprees.

"Like I said. I'm unstoppable because if you severe more of my body parts, you're just going to kill yourself faster!" laughed Daisy. Alaude frowned. There was truth to his words. Even so, he was not going to stop trying. He was going to find a way to defeat this guy without severing his body parts. Reaching for a pocket within his trench coat, Alaude pulled out a single tonfa. Daisy grinned and both men charged at one another, the sound of metal and flesh colliding echoing throughout the whole area.

"I've had enough. Now die!" smirked Daisy as the two men returned blow after blow. Sensing he was going to be pushed into a corner, Daisy snapped his fingers and jumped out of the way. Alaude turned around to see the severe leg heading towards him at full speed. To add matters worse, it was surrounded by Sun flames. Alaude's first instinct was to jump out of its way but as he tried to move, he felt something grab his foot, holding him to place. He looked down and saw that it was the arm that he had severed before. It had attached itself to the ground and was clinging onto him. It was quite disgusting.

"D**n it!" cussed the man as he raised his weapon to brace himself. The next thing he knew, he was pushed to the ground and a loud boom echoed throughout the clearing.

**Moments ago**

"I hate weaklings," growled Kyoya as he smashed his tonfa into the head of a Gola Mosca. After watching the Game of Choice where the opponents were Gola Mosca, Kyoya discovered that the easiest way to take care of them was by smashing them in the head and ripping out their cores. That was exactly what he did. In less than 15 minutes, the young boy had taken out more than 80 of the Gola Mosca's lurking around and was just ripping out the core of the last Mosca.

Focusing his attention to his father, he watched as Alaude gracefully dodge and attack Daisy. He couldn't understand why Alaude couldn't just eliminate this guy already. He thought back to a previous mission they once did where Alaude managed to successfully take down a whole mafia gang just by himself. He couldn't understand why he was having trouble against one puny weakling. It was only when he saw the severed leg on the ground did Kyoya understand; this guy had regenerating powers. Kyoya watched as Daisy jumped out of the way and his father was trapped to the spot with the leg flying at him with high velocity. With a 'tch', Kyoya jumped into the scene and forcefully pushed Alaude out of the way; stomping on the arm as he did. A split second after raising his tonfa to protect himself, Kyoya was pushed back by the incoming projectile and his back slammed into the wall of the Vongola mansion.

"Kyoya!" yelled Alaude when he quickly realized what was going on. He ran to the spot Kyoya had rammed into, smoke still flowing out. The smoke cleared, revealing an annoyed looking Kyoya who still had his tonfa's in place. The severed leg was squirming under his foot.

"You should be bitten to death!" snapped Kyoya.

"I accept your challenge any day," replied Alaude coldly, relief flooding his body. His relief was replaced with anger as Kyoya winced slightly and lowered his weapon. He felt his old wounds throb. Even so, his pride stopped him from falling to the ground. Alaude took one look at Kyoya's face which had a few drops of blood dripping from a scratch and stood protectively in front of his son. He turned to face Daisy, eyes filled of hatred and anger. Roll whimpered.

"Tch. So close! It doesn't matter though. Now I can eliminate two birds with one stone," said Daisy in amusement.

Alaude remained silent and reached for another pocket in his trench coat. This time, he pulled out the Vongola box Talbot had given him.

_A young boy looked at the flames devouring his home, screams and cries filling the scene. He trembled with fear as he called for his mother. His father had passed away a long time ago and he had been brought up by his mother, a woman who had a cold front but loved him dearly. _

"_Alaude, go! Get out of here!" screamed his mother as Alaude tried his best to pull his mother from under the rubble she was trapped in. _

"_I won't go without you!" yelled the boy. He tried to push the burning wood atop her but failed, receiving some burns himself._

"_Go Alaude! The bandits will return and they will kill you! I'm already going to die so please save yourself!" cried the woman, her face stained with tears. _

"_I won't leave you!" insisted the boy stubbornly. _

"_THEY'RE HERE!" screamed a man outside. Panic filled the village and sounds of slashing and pleading filled the village. Alaude froze in fear. _

"_Alaude go!" yelled his mother as she reached for her son and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "Run as far as you can! Please live for me!" said his mother as she forced a sad smile. With her last strength, she pushed her son weakly. Not knowing what to do, Alaude ran, tears streaming down his face as he ran past a bandit mercilessly pierce a young boy as he stood defending his little sister. _

_When Alaude reached the outskirts of the village, he stood atop a hill and soullessly watched the smoke rise to the sky. The screams and cries haunted him and he swore to himself, he would maintain peace and order, slaughtering anyone who defied him. _

_Years later_

"_Alaude, don't be so harsh on yourself. She chose this path herself," said Talbot gently as he placed a hand on Alaude's shoulder. Alaude's eyes were cold and empty. _

"_If I had only managed to keep her safe from those mafiaso, she would have never left me. She said she couldn't stay with me. I was going to get her killed," replied Alaude flatly. He cursed himself for falling in love with her. She was someone who he was attracted to; bold yet kind, a strong will to fight, aloof yet someone you wanted to be with and the fact that she was the only one who could go on par with him yet was merciful. _

"_It could not be so, Alaude. Maybe she left to keep you safe or something like that. I don't think she meant what she said," said Talbot as he recalled her sad expression despite her harsh words. Alaude however, had merely watched her go with wide eyes of surprise and pain. Now, his eyes were back to being flat and empty. _

_Alaude thought back to his village and clenched his fist. "I've failed. I swore that I would maintain peace and order but I failed it," murmured Alaude. He looked at Talbot, determination in his eyes. "This time, Talbot. I swear to you that I __**will **__arrest anyone who breaks he law, no matter what the cost. I swear it with my life._

_Talbot looked at him for a moment and smiled gently. "And I will hold on to your promise, Alaude. I leave the safety of the Mafia world into your hands because knowing you, you could most probably take down a room full of assassins by yourself if you wanted to. When the time comes, I shall assist you in any way that you need," said Talbot mysteriously as he tinkered with a small box in his hands. _

"Oh? A box weapon? Hahaha! It's no use! No matter what you pull out, I am immortal! You cannot harm me! What can Cloud flames do to sun flames a—" said Daisy before Alaude picked up a rock and flung it at him. The rock missed Daisy's head and slammed into a nearby tree, breaking the tree in the process.

"Shut up. You talk too much weakling. I am going to arrest you today if it's the last thing I do," growled Alaude as he injected his ring into the opening of the box. A bright purple light enveloped the scene and a pair of handcuffs appeared in Alaude's palm. Unlike his original pair however, this one had the Cloud flame burning brightly in the middle of the first cuff. "Now I hope you're ready to face justice."

Daisy who had been worried about the weapon burst into laughter. "Talbot has failed you this time, Vongola! Like I said, I am unstoppable!"

Alaude grinned sadistically. "We'll see won't we?" muttered the skylark as both parties collided again. After a short shuffle, Alaude managed to snap the handcuff onto Daisy's hand.

"Useless! I told you all I need to do is-" started Daisy before he was cut off again.

"Yes I know. Regenerate your body parts. However, I've discovered your weakness," replied Alaude as his handcuffs started multiplying, much to Daisy's surprise.

"W-What?"

"You're free to regenerate. That is if you can keep up with the Cloud's propagating factor," said Alaude in a bored tone. In a snap, Daisy was wrapped in chains.

"I-I can't m-move!" whimpered Daisy, his eyes flashing nervously.

Alaude looked at him with an expressionless face. "You shouldn't go around telling the world about your regenerating factors. People will start to think of ways to overcome it," said Alaude as he tugged on his chain, squeezing Daisy.

"H-H-Hurts…I-It hurts…" muttered the Mare guardian before blacking out. Daisy was defeated.

"That was for hurting Kyoya," whispered Alaude as he pulled the Mare ring off Daisy's finger.

"Tch. I would have taken him down faster than you had… You should be bitten to death!" said Kyoya. He limped towards Alaude who ruffled his hair.

"If you can't take me down in 30 minutes, what makes you think you can take him down?" said Alaude in a monotone voice. Kyoya glared at a nearby tree, not noticing his father had given him a rare smile.

"Let's go Kyoya. We have to find Primo and the others."

"I hate crowding…"

**WITH BYAKURAN AND CO**

"Daisy-chan I gone!" said Byakuran with a sad expression on his face as he tossed a marshmallow into his mouth. He was dressed in a bathrobe and was surrounded by bags of marshmallows.

"0-ho? Daisy is gone? What a shame, I liked him a lot…" sighed Kikyo, his expression betraying his words.

"Boo! Daisy-kun was the weakest! He deserves to go!" said Bluebell with a pout. She swam around the large aquarium made for her. "Byakuran! I want to fight too!" whined Bluebell. Byakuran smiled.

The doors opened and in came Zakuro who was holding a wounded arm. Upon entry, he fell to the ground and groaned in pain. Kikyo rushed to his side and immediately healed him.

"What happened, Zakuro?" asked the Cloud guardian anxiously.

"I'm sorry, Byakuran-sama. I failed to take down Daemon Spade. I had to retreat at the final moment," whispered Zakuro, his head bowed.

"I'm quite disappointed in you, Zakuro. I thought you'd do better than that. No matter, we still have time to spare," replied Byakuran lazily. "But don't let it happen again," continued the Milliefiore boss, his eyes cold. Zakuro gulped and nodded.

"I will kill them the next time we meet. I swear of it!"

"I hope so hm…Kikyo, Bluebell. Its time you went to the battlefield. Torikabuto is chasing Primo and I want you to assist him."

"Of course, Byakuran-sama!"

"Yay! We get to kill!" laughed Bluebell.

"Zakuro-chan. I need you to go on a trip for me!" said Byakuran happily.

"A trip? Where to?"

"Vindice."

"V-Vindice?" stammered Zakuro, shivering at the very word.

"Yes. There's a prisoner you need to escort to the battlefield. An important one."

"And who is that, Byakuran-sama?"

"His name is Ghost."

**WITH HAYATO AND CO**

"WOW! LOOK AT THAT ARMY OF GOLA MOSCA!" said Ryohei a little too loudly.

"Shut up!" hissed Hayato as he smacked his head. "They'll hear you!"

"Hahah! This is exciting!" laughed Takeshi as the three boys hid in some bushes and watched as a Milliefiore officer checked the Gola Mosca.

"L-Lambo thinks he will just sit here and w-watch!" said Lambo as he hugged his knees. The sight of the Mosca scared him.

"I think we should destroy them now when there's no one watching!" whispered Ryohei none too softly.

"Do you want to die? It's a 3 vs 50 plus a Milliefiore officer!" hissed Hayato again.

"But if we don't take them out now, they may hurt everyone else later!" reasoned Takeshi logically. Hayato pondered this.

"We should—"

"EXTREME PUNCH!" roared Ryohei as a loud boom echoed throughout the whole area. A line of Mosca's fell over, exploding as they did.

"IT'S A VONGOLA!" roared the officer.

"Hahah! That's awesome!" laughed Takeshi. He jumped out of the bushes and pulled out his sword.

"I'm going to die young…" sighed Hayato. He equipped his equipment and ran out to join his siblings.

"Come on Lambo! We have to g-!" started Dino tripping on his own two feet and falling flat onto the ground.

"Dinoooo-nii! Don't die on me!" cried Lambo. Dino got up sheepishly and tugged at his hand.

"Come on!"

**WITH G**

"Why do I have the feeling that our kids are doing something horrendously stupid again?" asked G.

"You worry too much G! Takeshi will make sure none of them do anything life threatening!" laughed Asari happily.

"He's the first one to get himself in trouble…"

"VOIIII! THIS ISN'T TIME FOR YOU TO BE SISSY'S AND WORRY ABOUT YOUR KIDS!" roared Squalo impatiently.

G rolled his eyes. "Once you have kids, you'll understand how we feel."

"VOIIII! I DON'T NEED KIDS! I HAVE A USELESS BOSS THAT MAKES ME WORRIED ALL THE TIME! CURSE HIM!"

"Haha you're a good guy, Squalo!" laughed Asari.

"Let's just get this mission done with!"

**WITH GIOTTO AND CO**

"We should be there soon…" murmured Uni, her eyes unfocused. She pointed to a nearby town and at Giotto's command, everyone fled that way.

"Tch. It's no use. They'll catch up to us no matter how fast we run," growled Reborn in annoyance.

"Chrome! What's wrong?" asked Elena. She was supporting Chrome who was now sweating bullets. Her face was a deathly pale and she held her head weakly.

"I-I feel a s-strong force. H-He's coming this way…" said the girl. Everyone looked around. Reborn cocked his gun and held it at the ready. He was standing protectively in front of Uni who was looking around warily.

"In here! Quick!" came a voice. Giotto turned around and saw a man with white hair and glasses poking out of a nearby shop. He was waving his arms at them.

"Let's trust him on this!" said Uni. She pulled on everyone's arm and they ran to where he was.

"Now stay in and don't come out! I'll handle this!" hissed the man before disappearing once again.

"Who is he, Uni?" asked Reborn with a frown. Uni shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure but I have the feeling he's a good man. Trust me!" insisted Uni. Reborn frowned but nodded. He eyed Uni, who was now avoiding eye contact with him, suspiciously.

A few minutes of tensed waiting, the man returned and quickly shut the door. "Alright. I've placed a barrier around this place. They won't be able to sense you for a few minutes," sighed the man as he pushed his glasses up.

"Who are you?" asked Reborn. The man stared at him for a moment before a hint of a smile played across his face.

"My name is Kawahira and I know all about you."

**Okay I had to stop here. Once again, I'm sorry for the slow updates. Thank you once again for all the reviews and support you guys have been giving me. As an apology to all you people who have PM-ed me and reviewed, I would like to open a suggestion box for any short stories you guys want me to write related to this story. It could be family time or angst suggestions. I'll add them here and there because well it's been a long time since I last updated and I kinda forgot the story a bit so I gotta refresh. In the meantime, I welcome any suggestions for any short stories (omake). I'll open the ask box until the end of April. Once May starts, I won't accept anymore. Until then, see you! **


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR! **

**Until next time, see you!**

**Hey everyone! I'm here again apologizing for yet another slow update. I'm taking summer classes now so I've been trying to plan my time properly to update this story. Like I said, I will not abandon this story until I finish it so don't worry. As for when I can get the next update up, we'll talk about that next time. Once again, thank you for the reviews and the patience you guys have for putting up with a lazy author like me. I appreciate it. Your efforts are not in vain. Here is Chapter 30! **

Chapter 30: The Man, Kawahira

"Know about us? What do you mean 'know about us'?" questioned Giotto cautiously. He eyed the man up and down, his Hyper Intuition scanning him. "That seems awfully suspicious."

"I'll answer your answers later. For now we have a second round of guest on the run," said Kawahira dismissively. He adjusted his glasses in place and peered out the window as if expecting somebody to appear from the deadly silent shopping center.

Reborn's ears perked up at that comment, his gaze fixed on Kawahira with an air of distrust. "Who's coming? What are you talking about?" growled the hit man in a low voice. As if on cue, Kawahira ran out his door and a few minutes later, Cozart and his family rushed in, panting heavily. Behind them was Bianchi, Lal Mirch, Fuuta, Irie Shoichi and Spanner.

"G-Giotto? Whoa! What are you doing here?" asked Cozart in surprise. Giotto breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his best friend.

"Cozart! Thank goodness you're alright! What happened?" asked the Vongola leader as both he and Cozart made a fist bump.

"It was that Cloud Mare ring holder! We were halfway to the forest when he appeared out of nowhere and started attacking us," replied Cozart.

"We were lucky Shimon Cozart here knows how to use his abilities properly though. He managed to deflect every attack thrown at us as we ran," said Lal Mirch with a hint of a smile on her face.

"Yeah! Uncle Cozart is so cool! You should have seen him when he managed to push back whatever that Milliefiore guy threw at us!" piped Julie happily. Rauji nodded his head enthusiastically.

"Tch! I could have done much better!" grumbled Koyo angrily. His eyes scanned the room and he frowned. "Where's that fool Ryohei and his idiot siblings?"

"Come to think of it, where is Hayate?" asked Bianchi in a worried voice.

"They're still out there. We don't know where they are…" replied Elena softly. She gripped Chrome's shoulder tightly. Chrome forced a small smile and patted her gently.

"Ahhhh this is worrisome…."muttered Shoichi as he clutched his stomach and gulped. Spanner unwrapped another sweet and popped it into his mouth.

"Don't worry. They are all alive. I have not sensed that anyone of them have gone at the moment," said Uni in a comforting voice. She turned to Kawahira and nodded who at that moment placed his finger to his mouth, urging them to be silent. He then exited the door and went back outside.

"Uni, I don't trust this guy…" mumbled Reborn menacingly, his gun at the ready. Beside him, Gamma nodded silently in agreement. He took heed of his surroundings, making sure he had time and space to protect Uni with his life if the situation called for it.

Uni on the other hand shook her head and smiled. "He will help us. For now…" said the Sky Arcobaleno. Reborn raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

**OUTSIDE THE SHOP**

On a normal day, this man Kawahira would have loved to stay out of trouble. Besides Talbot, Uni, I-Pin, most probably the Vindice and now Sawada Tsunayoshi, no one in this world knew who he really was. He was pretty sure that if anyone else knew who he really was, everyone would be out for his blood instead. With a sigh, he activated the Segno Hell Ring that sat comfortably on his finger and in an instant, the once empty shopping district was filled with people walking around doing their day to day business.

The distant sound of the wind made his ears twitch and the serious look on Kawahira's face was replaced with one that looked like a silly fool. He picked up the bowl of ramen beside him and started slurping the noodles. The wind grew stronger and in a blink of an eye, a man with long green hair appeared in front of him from the sky. With fake surprise, Kawahira threw his bowl and shrieked in surprise. The man growled.

"Keep it down you old fart! What the he** is your problem?" snapped Kikyo in annoyance. He looked around with a puzzled expression. He had lost track of both Giotto and Shimon. This was strange.

"A-A-A-A M-MAN JUST F-FELL FROM THE S-SKY!" shrieked Kawahira in fright. Passing onlookers stopped and whispered to one another, making Kikyo uncomfortable.

"Shut up! Hey old man! Have you seen the Vongola or Shimon boss around?" roared Kikyo as he grabbed Kawahira by the collar. Kawahira gulped.

"V-V-Vongola boss? W-Why would they run this w-way?"

"Answer me!"

"O-Of course not! Ask everyone else here! No one saw anything!" yelled Kawahira in fright. Kikyo growled and dropped Kawahira back onto the ground. He turned his back to the man and looked around, not noticing that Kawahira had activated his Hell ring once again.

"_There!" _hissed Kikyo as he flew towards the opposite direction. He had sensed a killing intent and took off immediately. Kawahira smirked and pushed his glasses into position. "Fly off to the ends of the earth you moron…" muttered Kawahira as he picked up his ramen bowl and deactivated his Hell ring. "What a waste of my ramen…"

**BACK IN THE SHOP**

"He just left…" whispered Giotto with a frown on his face. A moment ago, he had sensed the presence of a Mare ring right outside the shop but it had disappeared a few minutes later.

The door burst open and in walked Kawahira, ramen bowl in hand and a relaxed look on his face. Reborn growled.

"What the he** did you just do? Why was a Funeral Wreath here?" snarled the assassin angrily, his eyes cold and detached.

Kawahira sighed and placed his bowl into the nearby sink. "If you must know, Mr. Reborn. I just saved your lives. I think you should be saying thank you instead. I just sent the man tracking you down miles away, chasing after an illusion." Reborn clenched his fist but said nothing. He did NOT like this man.

"Vongola Primo. You must lead your family to the forest before nightfall. I cannot promise you'll be safe if you stay here. Now go before he comes back."

"Hold on. Who are you and why are you helping us? Heck, how do you even know us?" asked Giotto curiously. Kawahira smiled creepily.

"I've known all about you Vongola Primo. If you ever curse the fate you are in now, I'm the one you should be cursing. That's why I'm making up for the suffering you have to go through now."

Giotto was taken aback. This was not the answer he was expecting. "What—"

"Primo we have to leave!" cried Uni, breaking the silence. Everyone turned to her.

"Uni, what's wrong?" asked Reborn in alarm. Uni shook her head.

"We have to leave now, Uncle Reborn. Kikyo might return if we don't," replied the Sky Arcobaleno. The two of them looked at each other in silence before Reborn stood up, a hint of a smile on his handsome face.

"Understood. Let's leave Primo. G and the others could be there and waiting for us. We need to go."

Giotto nodded. "Kawahira, I'm grateful for your help today but once this is over, we need to have a chat. There are some things we need to talk about," said Giotto firmly, his eyes boring into Kawahira who merely nodded in a bored manner.

"Let's go!" said Giotto as everyone filed out of the room, eyeing their surroundings cautiously. Uni smiled at Kawahira and bowed her head. Reborn glared at Kawahira one last time before he too left the shop, his gun held at the ready.

Kawahira scratched his head. "There won't be a need for them to see me after this fight…" sighed the man as he opened a chest and pulled out a checkered mask. "After all, I'll be attending this battle myself…"

**WITH G AND CO**

"It looks like no one else is here…" muttered G with a sigh.

"VOIIIIII I TOLD YOU THIS IS WHY WE SHOULD HAVE TAKEN OUR TIME!" roared Squalo. He slashed his sword into a nearby tree which came down with a loud crack.

"Now, now we don't need to be hasty and destroy the trees!" laughed Asari as he threw his arm around Squalo's shoulders.

"VOIIII GET OFF MEEE!"

"Shut up! At this rate we'll attract unwanted attention you idiots!" snapped G in annoyance. He tapped his foot impatiently. Where in the world was Giotto? Where was his idiotic son? G tried to control the rising panic he felt in his stomach as he imagined different scenarios of trouble his son had gotten himself into. He was also imagining scenarios where Giotto had decided to be rash about something and went in head first without thinking things through.

This was the life of G.

"I sure hope Takeshi didn't get himself into any trouble!" laughed Asari nervously.

"I FOUND RED HEAD!" roared a voice they all knew too well. G looked up and to his horror/ disappointment came a running Knuckle who gave them all a bear hug. "I'M EXTREMELY GLAD YOU THREE ARE ALIVE!" continued the Vongola Sun Guardian, manly tears streaming down his face.

"VOIIIIIII! RELEASE ME AT ONCE!"

"Knuckle! Let go d*** it!"

"I'm glad you're alive too, Knuckle!"

"Tch. Tattoo is stil alive huh…" muttered Lampo who emerged from behind Knuckle.

"Lussuriaaa is here~~~"

"VOIIII WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN YOU USELESS PERSON?" roared Squalo as he pointed accusingly at Lussuria who blew him a kiss.

"I missed you too, Squalo~~~"

"WHO MISSES YOU?"

"Boss is not here yet…" muttered Levi in great disappointment.

"You guys are the second to return…" said G once he pulled free of Knuckle's clutches. "Did you guys see anything suspicious?"

"Extremely not! Everything seemed calm on our side when we went around," reported Knuckle seriously. He looked around. "Everyone else is still out there?"

"Yeah. Don't worry they'll be here…"

"Nufufu so we're not the first to arrive…how disappointing…" came Daemon's creepy voice as both he and Mukuro appeared from nowhere, shocking everybody in the process. "Hm? Where's Chrome and Elena?" asked Daemon as he looked around, a frown appearing on his face.

"They aren't back yet. Everyone else is wandering around somewhere," grumbled G. He lit a cigarette and looked at Daemon with questioning eyes.

"Zakuro managed to escape. We lost him," growled Daemon in a monotone voice.

"Tch. I suspected that much. D*** Milliefiore scum…"

"At least you came back alive, Daemon! That's a good thing!" laughed Asari cheerfully.

"I'm going to look for Chrome…" muttered Mukuro, clutching his trident tightly. Daemon shook his head.

"No Mukuro. I think it'd be wiser to wait here. Don't worry. If anything happens to your sister and mother, I will deal with Primo myself…" said Daemon with a killing aura around him. Everyone shuddered and wished Giotto all the best.

"EXTREME ARRIVIALLLLLLLLL!" roared another familiar voice as something ran past them.

"YOU'RE GOING TOO FAR YOU IDIOT!" yelled Hayato who had emerged from behind a thick bush, his face covered with dirt and scratches.

"Now, now Hayato! Ryohei's just excited that's all!" laughed Takeshi as he slapped Hayato on the back, pushing the teen forward. He too was covered with dirt and scratches.

"L-L-L-Lambo made it aliveeeee!" cried Lambo as he clung to Takeshi's leg, tears and snot running down his face. His hair was a mess and he too was covered in dirt.

"I'm glad we made it back in one p—WHOA!" said Dino as he tripped on a log and fell on his face.

"OH HEY I'M TOO FAR!" roared Ryohei's voice from a distance away.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU?" yelled Hayato in return.

"THEY'RE EXTREMELY BACK!" roared Knuckle as he pulled his nephews into a group hug.

"Don't kill them you idiot!" hissed G in annoyance as he tried to pry Knuckle's iron grip on his son and nephews.

"VOIIIII WHY WERE YOU KIDS SO LATE?" roared Squalo impatiently.

"We found a base in where the Milliefiore had assembled hundreds of Gola Mosca for the upcoming battle," snapped Hayato back in an irritated tone.

"Hundreds of Gola Mosca?" repeated Asari in a surprised tone.

"Yeah! We managed to destroy a few but I heard the men there saying they were going to call in for reinforcements!" said Takeshi in a cheerful tone.

"This is bad. This means there could be more from where they came from…" muttered Daemon.

"Wait a minute. You kids took out half the Gola Mosca's there?" asked Levi in surprise. Hayato and co nodded.

"And you made it out alive?" squealed Lussuria.

"Of course they did you moron!" hissed G as he threw his cigarette onto the ground and stepped on it.

"Well I'm glad they're alive!" cheered Asari. He messed up Takeshi's hair and patted him on the back. Takeshi grinned at his father.

"I'M EXTREMELY PROUD OF YOU SON!" cried Knuckle emotionally as he hugged his nephew who hugged him back.

"I'M EXTREMELY GLAD YOU'RE SAFE TOO!"

"You've done well, Lambo. I'm glad," said Lampo with a sigh of relief. Lambo sniffled and nodded, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Lambo's the coolest one here!"

"I'm glad you're in one piece, kid," said G awkwardly.

"At least you didn't die old man," replied Hayato, his eyes looking at the ground.

"What did you say punk?"

"I'm saying you're old you old geezer!"

Both father and son glared at one another, both refusing to back down. Daemon and Mukuro had to control their urge to burst out laughing.

"Oh everyone's here!" came Giotto's voice. Everyone looked around and breathed a sigh of relief as Giotto and his group finally arrived at the scene.

"Oh Hayato. I'm so glad you're alive," said Bianchi with a sigh.

"B-B-B-B-Big sister…." gasped Hayato before passing out.

"Elena, Chrome!" called Daemon in relief as he pulled both his wife and daughter into his arms.

"I'm so glad…" whispered Chrome as she hugged her father and smiled at her brother who patted his sister's head gently.

"Daemon! Mukuro! You both made it!" cried Elena as she kissed her husband lovingly.

"Disgusting acts of public display should be arrested and thrown into prison!" growled Alaude's voice as both he and Kyoya appeared from nowhere, their eyes glaring at Daemon and his wife.

"Yeah get a room you too!" growled G in disgust.

"That is sooo romantic~~~! Lussuria loves it!"

"Uncle Daemon you should control that behavior of yours. It pisses everyone off…" came Fran's monotone voice from below as both he and Bel popped out from underground.

"Where the he** did you pop up from you creep?" yelped Levi.

"SO YOU MADE IT ALIVE, RYOHEI?" roared Koyo.

"YOU TOO KOYO? I THOUGHT YOU EXTREMELY DIED!"

"YOU FOOL! LIKE I WOULD DIE LIKE A FOOL?"

"Chrome-chan you look beautiful today as well," said Julie as he pulled out a rose from his pocket and held it out in front of her. Chrome flushed red.

"Kufufu….looks like someone will die today!" snarled Mukuro, a strange glint in his eyes.

"JULIE YOU IDIOT! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" roared Adelheid. She grabbed Julie by the shoulders and threw him over.

"Kaoru! Next time we have to fight side by side!" laughed Takeshi as he threw his arms over Kaoru who nodded in excitement. Kaoru wanted nothing more than that.

"Lambo are you okay?" asked Rauji in concern. Lambo sniffled.

"No Lambo wants ice cream and cake!"

"Okay! Once this over, let's go for ice cream and cake!"

"Gokudera Hayato has fainted due to unknown reasons. I have to keep this jotted down…" said Shitt P as she scribbled onto her notepad.

"Someone has a crush on my younger brother? I'm so happy for you, Hayato…" said Bianchi with tears in her eyes.

"Primo, I have taken down the Funeral Wreath with the Sun Mare ring. His name was Daisy and he specialized in regeneration. He has been subdued and will be arrested once this is all over," said Alaude in a monotone voice. Giotto smiled.

"Thank you, Alaude. This means we have 6 Funeral Wreaths remaining. This isn't going to be easy…" muttered Giotto thoughtfully.

"What should we do now, Giotto?" asked G. Everyone grew silent and looked at the Vongola boss.

"For now, we treat whatever wounds we have and get ready for the big battle tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll most likely meet with Byakuran and his guardians. When that time comes, we'll have no choice but to fight him. Defeat or be defeated," said Giotto. Everyone nodded quietly.

This was no playing matter.

**THAT NIGHT**

"WOW YOU'RE THE MOST INJURED ONE HERE, KYOYA!" roared Ryohei as he healed some of Kyoya's wounds.

"I'll bite you to death if you say that again!"

"Uni. There's a question I've been wanting to ask you. It's been on my mind for a long time and I have to ask you," said Shoichi quietly. He poked the large fire with a stick and looked at Uni who smiled back at him. "What happened between you and Byakuran that made him become…this?" said Shoichi uncomfortably. The smile on Uni's face became sad as she looked at her hands.

"Byakuran wanted the both of us to work together to control the Tri-Ni-Sette together. He wanted to create a utopia where the world would be perfect, a world where no one had to die, a world where we all could be together," whispered Uni sadly. "To create this world, he had to have the Tri-Ni-Sette under his command."

"So why did he need you then, Princess?" asked Gamma in confusion.

"The Sky Arcobaleno has the power to awaken the Tri-Ni-Sette. While both the Mare and the Vongola were granted powers unimaginable as well, the Arcobaleno were created to uphold the balance of the world and was therefore given the task of maintaining and controlling the Tri-Ni-Sette," said Reborn coolly. He leaned against a tree and fiddled with his fedora. "It's a great power indeed but it comes with a heavy price."

"A price? What price?" asked Shoichi

"The lifespan of the Sky Arocbaleno," said Reborn flatly. Everyone fell silent, not believing what they were hearing, except for Giotto who had known this fact.

Reborn ignored the surprised looks on everyone's face and continued. "It has always been like this. Uni isn't the first one to have to go through this. Both her predecessors, Luche and Aria have already gone through this curse."

"Boss…."mumbled Gamma in disbelief. He looked at Uni and clenched his fist. Did this mean Uni was going to die at a young age too? He could not accept this.

"That's messed up. Who the he** came up with this curse?" growled G angrily. Asari looked disturbed.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Right now, we need to focus on defeating Byakuran. Tomorrow, Byakuran will bring forth his most powerful weapon: Ghost," said Uni seriously.

"Ghost? What's that?" asked Daemon in surprise.

"He is…a Byakuran from a parallel world and is one of his Funeral Wreaths."

"A-A Byakuran from a parallel world?"

"Yes. When Byakuran pulled him into this world, he destroyed that world in its process. The Vindice declared his powers too strong and locked him up in their prisons, a place where no light or sound can be heard. Byakuran however has made a deal with them to release Ghost."

"What the he** is this Vindice thinking? Aren't they the 'police' of the mafia or something?" growled G angrily.

"I will arrest anyone who disturbs the harmony of this place," said Alaude in a deadly voice.

"What powers does this Ghost person have?" asked Knuckle seriously.

"He absorbs the flames of other wielders. If you get too close to him, you'll be absorbed by him too," said Reborn calmly.

"W-W-What? That's impossible! How do we d-defeat him? Our flames will just get absorbed by him!" yelped Shoichi nervously.

"Tch. If only Tsuna was here. He could absorb that b****** instead…" muttered Hayato as he clenched his fist.

The group went silent as a dark cloud appeared above everyone's head. Tsuna's death was still a subject most of them avoided even though a long time had passed since the incident.

"We'll avenge Tsuna's death by defeating Byakuran tomorrow," said Giotto flatly. G nodded and tossed another cigarette into the fire.

"We'll make Byakuran pay for what he's done. I promise, Tsuna..." muttered Hayato, his eyes closed.

"What do you think Tsuna would have done in this situation?" asked Takeshi with a sad smile.

Reborn smirked and nodded at Uni who was trying her best not to giggle.

"Why don't we ask my useless student? Did you hear that Tsuna?" said Reborn is a loud voice. He stood up straight and pulled his gun out. Everyone looked at Reborn like he was crazy.

"Reborn. What are you—"started Giotto in surprise before he was rudely interrupted by Reborn who was still conversing to the trees.

"I know you're there, Sawada Tsunayoshi. You still have a long way to go when it comes to hiding from me. I'm going to count to 5 before I shoot. 1," called Reborn, his gun aimed at a thick foliage of trees.

"Reborn! What do you think you're doing?" asked Giotto as he stood up. Reborn must be going crazy. There was no way Tsuna was there.

"It's time for you to put your training to the test! 2!" continued Reborn with an evil look on his face.

"Has he gone crazy?" asked Hayato with a clenched fist. Even so, he stood up and looked around as well, a small ray of hope and doubt in his eyes.

"3"

"Is Reborn able to bring the dead to life?" asked Takeshi in awe, his eyes wide. Kyoya and Mukruo frowned. If this was Reborn's idea of a joke, they were not going to take it sitting down.

"4"

"Uncle Reborn, you're not really going to shoot him, are you?" asked Uni worriedly.

"5!"

Reborn grinned and pulled the trigger, a loud bang echoing throughout the forest.

"Reborn! What-?!" yelled Giotto before he was once again rudely interrupted.

"AHHHHHH! REBORN THIS IS NOT HOW YOU ASK FAVORS FROM PEOPLE!" yelled a voice so familiar to everybody. Time seemed to stop as a young cloaked boy emerged from the foliage. Behind him was I-Pin.

"Tch. I missed…" grumbled Reborn in disappointment.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU MISSED? WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE IF IT REALLY HIT ME?" cried the boy in an exasperated voice.

"Don't get so worked up, Tsuna. This was the best way to train you to be a mafia boss. Besides, I was lacking shooting practice. It's a win-win situation."

"That's the lamest excuse you've come up with so far!" sighed the boy as he pulled off the cloak that covered his face. As he did, Giotto and his family gasped, their eyes wide with surprise. They were frozen to the spot, not able to process whether this was a reality or a dream.

Tsuna, who had suddenly realized the situation he was in, slowly turned away from Reborn and looked at his family face to face for the first time in a very, very, very long time. He scratched his head and took a deep breath. "S-So hi! It's been quite a long time since I last saw all of you!"

"S-Sawada T-Tsunayoshi?" murmured Giotto in disbelief, his body still frozen in shock. Tsuna looked at him and smiled happily, a smile Giotto remembered so fondly.

"Papa, I'm home."

**AND CUT! That's it for today! I was debating whether I should have brought Tsuna out later on but decided he would come out this time so I hope you all are happy. Anyways, thank you once again for reviews and such! If I don't stray off the plot, the story should be done in 5 to 6 more chapters. :D Once that's done with I'm going to do a few short stories and wrap up the whole story with a finale! Look forward to it! Love you guys!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN KHR! **

**Hello and yes I'm still alive. I'm so sorry for the really, really, really long update since who knows when. I've had a lot of assignments, test, other college stuff and on some part, my pure laziness. **** To everyone to has been keeping with me and my story, thank you so very much. You don't know how happy/bad I feel when I receive your messages for me to keep updating this story. I know I've been a slacker but thank you for putting up with me! By the way, I have changed my name to potatogalore so my previous name is no longer available? **

**I've had a few request on whether you can translate my story in different languages. Sure! Go ahead! It doesn't bother me! ****. I also know that my stories lately have become somewhat OOC for some of the characters but it is part of my plan to make them a little OOC because it wouldn't be fun if they weren't! I have to reread my story again so that I keep up with it because I have forgotten a few parts here and there. Like I said, I will finish this story. I just don't know when. *sobs*. I've come to realize that I definitely prefer writing short omake stories compared to the main story. It gets intense. **

**Anyways, enough of me and here's the next chapter! **

**By the way, Happy 2015-ish! :D**

*****_**This means flashback**_

_***Please note that a really long time has passed **_

Chapter 31: Sawada Tsunayoshi

**A Few Years Ago **

"_He's dead, G. Dead," said Giotto in a bleak, monotonous voice, a voice G had only heard once a long time ago. _

_G kept silent, his eyes fixed on the tombstone that had the name 'Sawada Tsunayoshi' written on it. They had just gotten done with the funeral and everyone besides Giotto had decided to return home. Being Vongola Primo's best friend and right hand man, G naturally stayed behind as well. Lighting up a cigarette, the Storm Guardian puffed out a cloud of smoke. Giotto was kneeling in front of the grave, his face hidden from G's view. _

"_He was my only son and yet…." whispered Giotto silently, his hands clenched tightly. _

"_There wasn't anything you could have done, Giotto," replied G after choosing his words carefully. He knew that his grief was nothing compared to Giotto who was the closest to Tsuna. Personally, if Hayato had been the one who had gotten shot, G would have turned the town upside down searching for the killer. _

_Giotto stared blankly at Tsuna's grave as he slowly stood up. "I'll never see him lead the Vongola. He'll never get married, have kids..—"Giotto paused before looking G with dead eyes "—I'll never hear Tsuna call me ever again." _

_G was silent but deep down, he felt a pang of grief for his best friend. He patted Giotto roughly on his shoulder and the two men silently walked back to the mansion. G glanced at the sky and sighed to himself. _

_Why did Tsuna have to die?_

**BACK TO THE PRESENT**

G was in shock. By shock I mean his body was paralyzed with disbelief, his eyes were doubting what they were seeing and his brain was telling him that what was in front of him was nothing but an illusion. There was NO way Sawada Tsunayoshi, who was shot right in front of their eyes was still alive.

Giotto was frozen, his mind attempting to make sense of life.

Hayato was in shock.

Takeshi and Asari's eyes were wide with surprise.

Mukuro and Kyoya had the same dumbfounded expression on their faces.

Daemon and Alaude were staring with disbelief on their normally calm faces. Elena waved cheerfully at Tsuna.

Futa dropped the book he had been carrying while Bianchi nodded her head at Tsuna in acknowledgement, a slight smile on her face.

Chrome had her hands to her mouth.

Knuckle and Ryohei had their mouths hanging wide open in pure disbelief.

Lampo and Lambo were embracing each other because both father and son thought Tsuna was a ghost.

Cozart had his hand frozen on Enma's head as both of them blinked in confusion. His siblings were all as baffled as they were.

The Varia on the other hand were all looking at the scene with a blur/ surprised/ about-to-kill/ what's-going-on expressions on their faces.

Fran on the other hand was picking his nose and examining his fingers with a bored look.

Dino was rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

The Tsuna everyone had last seen had spiky brown hair that seemed to defy the laws of gravity (people were suspecting Enma had something to do with it), warm brown eyes and a kind expression on his face. While the Tsuna in front of them now had indeed grown a few feet in height, he was still the same Tsuna they had missed. The only thing that was different was the fact that this Tsuna seemed more mature.

"U-Uhm…is everyone okay?" asked Tsuna, his expression one of worry and confusion.

"I think everyone is just happy that you have returned, Tsuna-san," beamed Uni happily.

"B-But they look kind of…rigid," said Tsuna worriedly.

"What do you think, No-Good Tsuna? Would _you_ be alright if someone you thought was dead appeared in front of you again?" asked Reborn in a matter-of-factly voice. "Why _did_ you come out you useless student?"

"Because _somebody_ here was firing bullets at me when I was already planning to stay out of sight. Geez Reborn!"

The sound of the gun being cocked echoed throughout the forest. "Are you blaming me now, Tsuna?"

"O-Of course not."

"Uncle Reborn! This is why we said not to surprise the Vongola! Everyone's been standing there for over 5 minutes now!" said I-Pin in a slightly pouting voice. Reborn shrugged innocently.

"But you have to admit, their expressions are priceless."

"This isn't funny! What should we do?"

"Don't worry. I brought a camera. This is going to be good," replied Reborn; Leon magically transforming into the said device.

"Don't be mean, Uncle Reborn," said Uni gently. Reborn flashed an innocent smile at her.

"Sawada-san, it's been a long time…" said Shoichi with a stressed yet happy smile on his face. He ruffled Tsuna's hair.

"Shoichi! It's been too long! You look…tired," said Tsuna as both boys bumped fist and burst into laughter.

"Did you manage to retrieve them?" asked Shoichi suddenly, his expression one of worry. Tsuna on the other hand smiled peacefully and nodded. Shoichi breathed a sigh of relief and slide down to the ground.

"Then we can still win this…"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi. Hello," said Spanner in a bored voice.

"Spanner! You're looking good!" replied Tsuna happily.

"Tsuna," whispered Giotto who had finally recovered from his shock, his hand shaking as he slowly reached for the said boy.

With a huge grin on his face, Tsuna reached out and hugged his father tightly, something Giotto accepted with wide eyes. "Papa. It's been a long time since I last had a conversation with you," said Tsuna happily. With trembling hands, Giotto returned the hug tightly. How long had it been since he last hugged his son?

How long had it been since he last heard the name 'Papa' come from his son's lips?

"You're all right…You're all right…" mumbled Giotto, his voice shaking with emotion.

"TSUNA!" roared a voice, making both father and son jump. Tsuna turned around just in time to see his siblings running full force towards him. Before Tsuna could respond, he was engulfed in a sea of hugs and tears. Giotto on the other hand was simply thrown aside.

"T-TSUNAAA! YOU WERE ALIVE ALL THIS TIME!" cried Hayato as he squeezed Tsuna tightly, tears spilling all over his face.

"H-Hayato-nii, I can't breathe…"

"Ahahahaha! Tsuna was alive all the while!" laughed Takeshi as he too embraced his brother, happy tears spilling all over.

"T-Takeshi-nii, Hayato-nii is glaring at you."

"TSUNAYOU'RESTILLALIVEI'MSOHAPPYYYYYEXTREME!" roared Ryohei as he sobbed, giving a bone crushing hug.

"R-R-Ryohei-nii. I-I think I I heard my bones c-crack…"

"NO ONE EVEN KNOWS WHAT YOU JUST SAID YOU IDIOT!" yelled Hayato in between tears.

"TSUNA-NIII IS NOT A GHOST! HE'S ALIVE!" sobbed Lambo as he too latched onto the now squashed Tsuna.

"Lambo that's my face! Can't breathe!"

"Kufufu…it seems like our dear little brother is still alive and well. It's fine Chrome, we'll have a chance to hug him later…" said Mukuro a little regretfully as he patted his little sister on her head.

"A-At t-t-this rate *sniff* T-Tsuna-nii i-i-is going to *sniff* s-suffocate…" said Chrome, wiping away her tears emotionally.

"Anyone who doesn't allow Tsuna to breathe will be bitten to death!" growled Kyoya, his eyes blazing with anger.

"UWAHHHHH COME JOIN US KYOYA! EXTREME!" roared Ryohei before forcefully pulling Kyoya into their death hug.

"TSUNNNNAAAAAAA!" wailed Enma who also flung himself onto the group.

"G-G-Gonna s-s-suffocate," squeaked Tsuna.

"MY LITTLE BROTHER IS ALIVE!" cried Dino as he too flung himself, tripping on his own two feet as he did.

"At this rate, he's really going to die," said Reborn in amusement.

"KIDS! Let Tsuna breathe!" roared Knuckle. At his voice, everyone released Tsuna who lay flat on the ground. His eyes were spinning and he had a silly grin on his face.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Kn—"

"NOW IT'S OUR TURN!" roared Knuckle's enthusiastically as he himself pulled Tsuna into a bear hug.

"EHHH?"

"I MISSED YOU TSUNA EXTREME!" shouted Knuckle, manly tears cascading down his cheeks.

"O-Ow."

"It's been a really long time!" laughed Asari. He patted his nephew's head before embracing him as well.

"He's no longer a kid eh?" chuckled G, his face unexpectedly gentle.

"He's my son after all!" said Giotto proudly before squeezing Tsuna as well.

"My lungs…"

"Nufufu this was unexpected…" chuckled Daemon, his eyes amused. Even so, deep down, he was happy. Happy that Tsuna was still alive.

Alaude merely patted Tsuna's head affectionately.

"MY D-D-DEAR NEPHEW WAS STILL A-A-ALIVE!" sobbed the Lightning Guardian emotionally.

"I see stars…."

"Tsuna's alive! I-I-I'M GLAD!" wept Cozart before embracing him as well.

"VOIIIIIIIII! THAT BRAT IS ALIVE!" roared Squalo who started swinging his sword like a mad man.

"Ahh! My beautiful Tsunayoshi-kun!" shrieked Lussuria as he blew kisses at Tsuna.

"Tch, trash's trash is still alive huh," mumbled Xanxus.

"Boss are you okay?"

"Ah how boring," said Bel with a mischievous grin on his handsome features.

"Bel-senpai, you're actually very happy aren't you," called Fran in a bored voice, earning a knife to his headgear.

"Good luck there, Tsuna," called Reborn as he snapped photos left and right. "This will be great to look back at."

"EHHHHH?"

**10 MINUTES LATER**

"Would you mind explaining what's going on, Sawada Tsunayoshi-kun?" asked G, his hands folded, expression strict. Tsuna smiled nervously as he stood fidgeting in front of his entire family. After nearly squeezing him to death, they were suddenly brought back to reality and remembered the fact that Tsuna was indeed alive. Now, they were wondering _why_ and _how_. Hence the court like scenario.

"Don't attack Tsuna like that you smelly old man!" growled Hayato protectively.

"What was that you brat? You smell just as bad as I do!"

Tsuna smiled nostalgically. Hayato and G were still the same even though it had been a long time since he had last seen them. He patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry Hayato-nii, I owe you all an explanation so it's my turn to tell you all what is going on."

"Shoichi told us that you had travelled to the future when you were still living on the streets. Why did you do it, Tsuna? Why did you have to fake your death?" asked Giotto, his face serious.

Tsuna nodded and sat down, his expression equally tense. "Just as Shoichi said, I went to the future a long time ago and was surprised to hear everyone crying. When I returned back, it didn't make much sense to me because I did not know who these people were or what was going on so I forgot all about yet. When we met Papa and the others, I remembered what I had seen and had a bad feeling in my gut. After that incident with the Corvino family, Uni came to me, looking grim and serious. I knew then my instincts had been right," said Tsuna, his eyes closed.

"_Uni! It's been such a long time!" cried Tsuna as both he and the said girl exchanged hugs. Uni beamed at him, her face flushed with excitement. _

"_It has been a long time, Sawada-san. I'm so happy to see you doing so well!" replied Uni. Both friends had decided to meet up in Talbot's workshop after Uni had sent Tsuna a letter. _

"_Eh? Isn't Gamma with you? He normally never lets you out of his sight," said Tsuna as he looked around. Ever since Uni had returned to Giglo Nero as the next head, Gamma was always following her around like a faithful watchdog. Whenever Uni visited the Vongola household, Gamma would be right behind her, his eyes watching the Vongola boys with critical eyes. _

"_Gamma doesn't know I'm here today. I told him that I was meeting Shoichi and Spanner. He didn't like me going alone but he was fine with it in the end…" muttered Uni a little guiltily. Her cheeks had gone slightly red as she twiddled her thumbs. _

"_The Sky Arcobaleno told a little lie did she now?" laughed Talbot, his voice crackling with humor. Uni blushed. _

"_I-It wasn't a lie…" replied Uni in a slightly pouting manner._

"_The young Vongola is looking more and more like Giotto, aren't you," chuckled the old man Talbot as he tinkered with his devices. _

"_Uncle Talbot! You look well!" said Tsuna happily. Talbot winked at him. "So what's going on, Uni? What did you want to speak about?" asked Tsuna, his face now serious._

_Uni took a deep breath and looked Tsuna in the eye. "Sawada-san. Do you know who Byakuran is?"_

_Tsuna frowned and nodded his head. He was the boss of the newest mafia family, the Milliefiore. Tsuna had heard his papa discuss this with his uncle's before. According to his papa, this was a man with a lot of potential. Uni nodded as well._

"_Sawada-san, I'm sure you know that I can see the future, right?" said Uni. Tsuna nodded again. He remembered when he had the Sky pacifier in his possessions. Back then, seeing the future was something he could do. Once the incident with the Corvino family had passed, he had lost the ability to do so. Uni on the other hand was the original Sky Arcobaleno and therefore had the ability to do so. _

"_I had a vision where Vongola Primo was going to die," said Uni sadly, her eyes closed. Tsuna's heart skipped a beat. _

"_Die? P-Papa is going to die? How?" _

"_On your birthday/ inheritance ceremony, you will be an assassination target and Vongola Primo will take the bullet for you. That isn't all. After his death, the Vongola family will fall and everyone will d-die…" continued Uni quietly. She looked at Tsuna who had an unreadable expression on his face. His fist were clenched but he said nothing. The air became tense as the young Vongola heir was filled with worry, fear and uncertainty until Talbot gave a little chuckle. _

"_Come now, Uni-chan. Don't scare the poor Vongola like that. Look at him! He's trembling with fear! Tell him what comes next!" said Talbot in a cheerful tone. Uni smiled apologetically. _

"_W-What comes next? You mean there's more?" asked Tsuna, a look of horror on his face. Talbot grinned._

"_I also saw another future, Sawada-san," said Uni quietly, a sad smile on her face. Tsuna looked at her,s his eyes wide. _

"_What future?"_

"_It was one where you had died instead. A future where Vongola Primo is alive but you are not," replied the girl sorrowfully. She looked at Tsuna and was surprised at the look of hope on his face. _

"_Really, Uni? Really?" asked the lad enthusiastically. _

"_Y-Yes."_

"_That's great! So Papa and everyone else don't have to die so fast!" sighed Tsuna before slumping down to the ground. _

"_There is more. In this future I saw, Byakuran had taken supreme reign over the mafia world and the Vongola were in hiding. In this future, the Arcobaleno were all dead," continued Uni. Tsuna frowned. _

"_Dead? What happened? Did Reborn…" asked Tsuna before trailing off after seeing the look of sadness on Uni's face. _

"_At the moment, I cannot tell you what happened but I know that Byakuran is after the Tri-Ni-Sette. He will hunt the Vongola down just for their part of the three."_

"_Tri-Ni-Sette?"_

"_It's a long story. Anyway, Sawada-san, what should we do?" asked Uni as she bit her lip. _

_Tsuna looked grim. Standing up, he placed a hand on Uni's shoulder reassuringly. "Its fine, Uni. Don't worry about it anymore. I'll definitely do something about this."_

_Uni gasped and looked at Tsuna. "S-Sawada-san, y-you can't possibly…" asked the girl in fear. She knew what Tsuna was going to do. He was going for the future where he was going to die._

_The said lad looked at Uni and smiled. "Uni, I never told you but when I was a child, I travelled to the future by accident because of Lambo's bazooka. I was lying in a coffin and everyone was crying over me."_

_Uni's eyes widened in surprise. "Is this true, Sawada-san?" she asked, her heart beating quickly. Tsuna nodded. _

"_I never understood what was going on but now that you tell me that you've seen something like this, I understand what must be done," said Tsuna with resolve. _

"_But Sawada-san! You'll die! A-And everyone else will be sad!" argued the Sky Arcobaleno fearfully. _

"_I'd rather be the only one who dies, Uni-chan. It's incredibly selfish of me but this is what I want," replied Tsuna gently, his large chocolate eyes filled with resolve. "I'm kind of worried about how everyone will be after I die though. How will we tell them about the future?"_

"_But—"_

"_Do not fret, Uni-chan! I, the great Talbot, will make sure our young Vongola here will be just fine!" said Talbot cheerfully as he slapped Tsuna on the back, causing him to fall forward. _

"_How?" _

"_Well I haven't thought about it yet but your conversation about the whole Tri-Ni-Sette has gotten be a little bit worried. I know what this Byakuran fellow wants and I know a way to put an end to it," said Talbot mysteriously. Both teens looked at him in surprise. _

"_You know how to stop him?" cried both Tsuna and Uni. Talbot grinned excitedly and nodded._

"_Of course. Just how old do you think I am? I have a ton of experience!" exclaimed the old man proudly._

"_So does this mean you'll make sure Tsuna lives?" asked Uni hopefully. She did not want to see anyone, let alone her friend, die. Talbot nodded. _

"_But of course, once our young Vongola is 'dead', he'll need to stay 'dead'. This means he's going to need to prepare for the upcoming battles behind the scene. Do you understand, Tsunayoshi?" said Talbot calmly. Tsuna nodded frantically. _

"_Leave it to me!"_

"_I'm so glad…" sighed Uni. _

"_For now, we're going to have to prepare for this upcoming future you just told us about, Uni. This means you will need to alert us about anything that you see, understand?" _

"_Yes!"_

"_Good! For now, we need the help of several young geniuses. Know who I'm talking about?" asked the old man with a mischievous grin. _

"_You mean Shoichi and Spanner?" asked Tsuna thoughtfully. Talbot nodded and slapped him on his back again. _

"_Shoichi-san? Spanner-san?" asked Uni in surprise. It had been a long time since she had last seen them. The thought excited her. _

"_Oh and of course, my good friend, Giannini!" said Talbot happily. "Giannini and I go wayyyyy back. He's an expert at building complicated things!"_

_Tsuna nodded, his thoughts a mess. He was going to be busy from now on._

_The hard part was trying to keep it all a secret. _

"Anyways, I told Shoichi all about this and he had agreed to help me mainly because Byakuran was his friend and that he was worried about all of us. He also really couldn't say no to Uni," recalled Tsuna. Everyone was listening intently while Gamma threw a quick glare at Shoichi.

"_You want to die?" shrieked Shoichi, his hands clasping the side of his face, eyes wide with alarm. Tsuna covered his mouth in a hurry. _

"_SHHHHH! What if they hear you?" hissed Tsuna as he looked around. It was a good thing his siblings were all outside doing who knows what. _

"_B-B-But I-I can't let you d-d-die!" whispered Shoichi, sweat dripping down his forehead. Spanner looked at the both of them while unwrapping his candy._

"_I won't be d-d-dead!" said Tsuna with a shudder. "Well not really I guess?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_What I'm saying is that I'll pretend to be dead! That way, Byakuran won't attack the Vongola for a few months and everyone will have time to get ready!"_

"_Ahhh that was it. You gave me a fright, Sawada-san…" sighed Shoichi. He was holding his stomach which was starting to ache. _

_Tsuna grinned sheepishly and scratched his head. "Which is why I'm asking you and Spanner to make it look like I'm dead," said the young heir with an innocent smile on his face. _

"_Ah yes make you look de—I can't do that!" yelped Shoichi in sudden realization._

"_Why not?"_

"_B-Because it's immoral! And besides, imagine what would happen if your family finds out what happened!" replied Shoichi with a shudder. He knew what Tsuna's Uncle Daemon and Uncle Alaude did to their foes. Heck, the police still had not found the bunch of mafia goons who had been sent out to kidnap their children a long time ago. _

"_But it'll save everyone's life! Come on Shoichi!" said Tsuna seriously. "Spanner, help me out!" _

"_I like creating things…" said Spanner to Shoichi. _

"_Are you serious, Spanner? You're okay with it?" asked Shoichi with a pained look on his face. Spanner nodded once. After a few moments of silence, Shoichi finally sighed and nodded. _

"_I understand, Sawada-san. I'll do it…" mumbled Shoichi a little reluctantly. Tsuna clapped his hands excitedly. _

Shoichi gulped as he felt all eyes on him again.

"So this guy was in it all this time…" muttered G. Hayato cracked his knuckles.

"And he never told us…" said Daemon with an odd grin on his face.

"…" said Alaude, his piercing gaze aimed right at Shoichi.

Yes, Irie Shoichi could tell his days were numbered.

"S-Sawada-san, please move on…"

Tsuna looked at Shoichi with a confused look on his face. "Anyways, Shoichi and Spanner both came up with an idea on how to look like I had been shot. On the day of the ceremony, Talbot gave me a ring that would act like an illusion while Shoichi and Spanner made vest that could repel bullets."

"That is impossible. If it had been an illusion, I would have definitely known…" said Daemon. Mukuro and Chrome nodded.

"Hehehe! You underestimate how great of an inventor I am, Daemon! The ring I gave the young Tsunayoshi here was a specialty of mine! I tinkered it so that even a great illusionist as yourself would never notice the difference. Of course, rings like that are dangerous so I had it destroyed right after the young Vongola here was finished with it," said Talbot with a mysterious smile on his wrinkled old face. A vein twitched in Daemon's head.

"The h*** do you make things like that?" asked the Mist Guardian who had felt that his pride had been threatened.

"It's a secret that no one but I know."

"B*******," growled Daemon before being calmed down by his wife.

"Shut up! We're trying to listen to Tsuna here!" snapped G in annoyance.

"SO EVERYTHING WAS JUST AN ILLUSION?" roared Knuckle in disbelief.

"Yes," nodded the young boy. Looking at Enma who was staring at him with a dumbstruck look on his face, Tsuna grinned awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Enma. I only told you half of what was going on because I really needed you to believe I was dead."

"T-T-That's fine. I'm just glad you're safe…" mumbled the Shimon teen quietly. "What happened after that?"

"Well, the vest I was wearing was hidden by the ring Talbot gave me. It hurt knowing that everyone was crying over me as I lay in the coffin," muttered Tsuna sorrowfully.

**2/3 YEARS AGO**

_The night was unusually dark, the moon's radiance hidden by the unusually large amount of clouds. The scene was one of a nightmare about to begin. In the middle of the sorrowful scene, two young boys ran, each of them carrying a shovel. They were dressed in dark clothing and were looking around wearily. Their destination: Tsuna's grave. _

_Once they arrived, the two boys started digging, sweat pouring from their faces. Occasionally they would look around to see whether anyone from the Vongola family had decided to pay a visit but luckily, no one showed up. After an hour or so, they finally opened the coffin._

"_S-Sawada-san! Are you all right?" asked Shoichi in full panic mode as he wrenched open the coffin case just in time to see Tsuna lying peacefully. He gasped. "SPANNER! H-H-HE'S DEAD!" cried the teen exasperatedly while Spanner sighed. _

"_Calm down, Shoichi. He's merely sleeping. Look, he's drooling…" pointed Spanner. Shoichi turned red. _

"_R-R-Right…"_

"_Oi, wake up already…" said Spanner in a bored voice as he dropped a piece of candy into Tsuna's mouth. _

"_Spanner? Shoichi? Is it over?" asked a dazed looking Tsuna. Shoichi and Spanner gently helped him sit up and Tsuna looked around in confusion before recalling what was really happening. "Ahh! It's already become this late?" yelped the kid as he hurriedly stood up. "C-Come on! We have to bury this all over again!" said Tsuna as he took out the ring Talbot had given him and tossed it into the coffin. The illusion of him lying there appeared, something that was kind of creepy to Tsuna. _

_After another hour of digging, the three boys ran away from the scene, passing the Vongola household as they did. Tsuna stopped at his tracks and looked at it sadly. From where he stood, he could see Giotto in his office, his back facing the window as he looked over some documents. Tsuna remembered hearing his family cry for him at the funeral and his heart broke. Shoichi placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head._

"_You're right. We'll all see each other again," said Tsuna with a faint smile before turning his back to the mansion. He had something to do now. _

"After that, I was busy placing things here and there for everyone at the Vongola to figure out what was going on," said Tsuna with a sheepish grin.

"_Papa entered my room!" cheered Tsuna as both Shoichi and Spanner applauded. The three of them had been spying at the Vongola house to make sure that once Giotto had received the message, the others would as well. Shoichi and Spanner had little robots that would slip into the household and drop off the letters for everyone else without being seen. The only thing they needed was for Giotto to be the first to read the letter in Tsuna's room. Not wanting to be close, Shoichi and Spanner had created a pair of binoculars that could see for great miles. It also had heat vision to keep track of all the Vongola guardians. They had been waiting weeks for Giotto to finally step foot into Tsuna's room to the point where Shoichi had already come up with a plan in case he didn't. It wasn't that Shoichi blamed him. After watching the Vongola head for the past few weeks, it was clear that he was not the man he had been when Tsuna was still alive. He hardly ate, he hardly slept and he had refused to even step foot into Tsuna's room where they had left all their messages for him. Shoichi knew that while Tsuna felt hurt deep down seeing his father like that, he had full trust that Giotto would accept that what happened was over._

"_Now that Papa has entered, we need to pass this to Hayato-nii," said Tsuna, a nicely wrapped letter in his hand. He had been spent a whole week figuring out his brother's 'G Writing's' and was sure that Hayato would understand what he was trying to say. _

"_Are you sure you don't need a robot for this?" asked Shoichi nervously while Spanner was busy setting up the robots, letters attached to their legs. The plan was for them to drop the letters and quickly exit. Tsuna nodded. _

"_Don't worry, Shoichi. For Hayato-nii, Uri-chan would be the perfect messenger," replied Tsuna with a wink. "Ah! There she is!" said Tsuna as the said animal purred and rubbed her face on his leg. Tsuna giggled and tied the note to her back. "Uri, make sure Hayato-nii receives this, understood?" said the teen. Uri nodded and took off, running back to the mansion as quickly as possible. _

"_Now that this has been taken care off, we just have to wait for Enma to deliver the rest to them," said Spanner who was receiving the robots that had just returned back from their duty. Shoichi nodded and sighed._

"_I suppose this is where we part, Sawada-san. Where are you going to go?" asked the young teen a little sadly. _

"_I have to look for Reborn and the rest of the Arcobaleno. I don't know how many I'll be able to help but Reborn is the first in my list. Uni told me that Reborn will play an important role in this whole thing. I'm kind of scared to meet him again…" said Tsuna with a shudder. Past memories of his Spartan tutor flowed into his mind. Turning to his friends, he smiled. "Make sure the two of you meet up with Papa and the others when they start looking for you, alright. Take care of yourself!" _

_Shoichi and Spanner nodded and shook Tsuna's hand before he turned to the forest and disappeared. _

"After that, I found Reborn and the two of us met up with Uni."

"_Uncle Reborn! I've missed you!" cried Uni as she hugged her uncle, her hands shaking. _

"_You look the same, Uni. I heard what happened. Are you alright?" asked the hitman in an unusually gentle tone. Uni nodded and smiled. A few months had passed and the Vongola was now in hiding. Things for the Arcobaleno were starting to get serious and Uni herself made the decision to leave her family, a decision she still cried over. She knew that everyone was looking for her and that thought alone stabbed her heart._

"_Uni-chan. I hate to say this but the Arcobaleno Collonello and Verde were killed by the anti-Tri-Ni-Sette rays. We were too late…" said Tsuna, his voice monotonous. Uni gasped and fell to her knees. Reborn patted her head comfortingly, his face grim. _

"_When Reborn and I arrived, this was all that was left…" said Tsuna as he pulled out two pacifiers from his pocket. They were colorless. Uni took them with trembling hands and cradled them gently. _

"_They're still warm…Thank you, Sawada-san. It would have been bad if Byakuran had taken them," said Uni graciously. _

"_Right Byakuran. I left behind two authentic looking ones for him created by Talbot. He told us that it was better if he thought he had them in his possessions so that he wouldn't know what was really going on," said Tsuna seriously. Uni nodded. _

"_We're going to try and look for the others but I wouldn't be so optimistic about it…" said Reborn darkly as he hopped onto Tsuna's shoulders._

_**FEW DAYS LATER**_

"_They're all…dead," wept Uni as she cradled the rest of the pacifiers to her chest. Tsuna and Reborn were silent. There was nothing they could say to her. Nothing that would have eased her pain. All they could do was just be there. After a few minutes of heart wrenching silence, Uni sniffled and turned to them. _

"_Forgive me. I-I'll be fine now," said the girl quietly. She wiped her tears and looked at them with a smile which was rather forced. "Thank you for bringing them to me. I really am grateful."_

"_We won't let Byakuran get away with this, Uni. Everyone is trying their hardest to bring him down," said Tsuna gently. Uni nodded and smiled. _

_**CHROME VS GLO **_

"_Mukurowl. Make sure you give this to Chrome on time, understand?" muttered Tsuna as he tied a letter and the fake Vongola ring to the animal's feet. The owl hooted in understanding and flapped his wings. "Keep my sister safe," whispered Tsuna just as the owl took flight. The sound of an explosion snapped Tsuna back to reality. With a frown, he made his way to the warehouse where Chrome was and was pained to see her having a tough time against the enemy. _

_He watched as Mukurowl landed in front of her and she untied the letter. He chuckled. To throw suspicion off himself, he had used Shoichi's name instead. How did he manage to sneak the ring you ask? Well, in an effort to help Chrome, Shoichi had decided to send Chrome her copy of the Vongola ring and had sent an emergency letter to Tsuna for his help, in it the said Vongola ring (Shoichi smuggled it out). Not wanting his sister to die, the young lad had raced over as fast as possible, his face covered by a hood. He arrived in time to see Mukurowl coming towards him. That was how Tsuna got the idea of using her box animal. _

_Now, Tsuna watched with pride as his sister successfully lit her ring and even managed to summon an illusion. He was touched that the person she had missed most was him. It was a little awkward though, watching himself talk to her. Tsuna continued watching as his sister and illusion Tsuna faced Glo. _

_Even so, Tsuna knew that an illusion would have been impossible to defeat flesh and blood. Chrome was never one for violence and had disliked killing living things, unlike both Daemon and Mukuro who were simply filled with bloodlust when they fought. Tsuna frowned. He was going to have to step in. Looking for a safe spot, he readied his gloves and waited for an opportunity. _

_Luckily, it came. At the very moment he was searching for a chance, illusion Tsuna yelled "X Burner!" Silently thanking himself for the chance, Tsuna did the same, firing at Glo from the back. Due to the confusion and the large amount of flames produced by illusion Tsuna, no one noticed that the damage done to Glo was actually from the real Tsuna working behind the scenes. After making sure that Chrome was safe, at least from the enemy, Tsuna left just before Mukuro and Daemon appeared. _

_**A FEW DAYS LATER**_

"_We're breaking into the Milliefiore base?" asked Tsuna with an arched eyebrow. Reborn nodded and yawned. _

"_Your silly siblings decided to do it and I'm playing the babysitter. Again. Your job is to make sure that everyone is able to meet up with one another. Knowing your family, they're prone to getting lost and separated." _

_Reborn was no longer an Arcobaleno baby. He had returned to the adult he once was and was playing with the sideburns on his face. Even though his voice had become deep, he was still the same, sadistic tutor Tsuna remembered. Heck he was worst. _

"_Make sure you have your face covered, No-Good Tsuna. I am able to show my handsome features because no one knows who I am but any idiot can tell who you are," said Reborn with a smirk. Tsuna sighed and nodded. _

_The bright side was that he could see his family again. _

_The dark side, it was going to be dangerous._

_**AT THE BASE**_

_The young Vongola tread quietly in the Milleifiore base. He was wearing a huge cloak and had covered his face, feeling like a vigilante as he did. He was following his intuition and had found his papa and his uncles in the surveillance room. The sight of the room confirmed the fact that Kyoya __**had**__ indeed passed this room. When he arrived into the room, his gaze was fixed on the table where Giotto, Cozart, Enma, G and Hayato were hiding. Tsuna smiled. It was just like them to be overly cautious. _

_Not that he blamed them. _

_Natsu on the other hand was going wild. How he missed his pet. _

"_H-Hey! Keep it down, Nuts!" hissed Giotto's voice._

"_What's wrong with him?" came Cozart's whispered voice. _

"_He's looking right at our direction!" hissed his uncle G. _

_Tsuna fought the urge to laugh. It had been a long time since he had last seen them and it was a wonderful sight to see they were now better than they were when he had died. _

_Holding out his hand, Tsuna pointed to himself, then to his family and finally to the door. _

"_I-Is he asking us to follow him?" came G's voice, thick with disbelief. _

"_It seems like it. Should we?" came Cozart's voice_

"_Of course not you idiot! What if it's a trap?"_

"_But he's smiling at us."_

"_If Byakuran smiled at you, would you still follow him?"_

"_Good point…What do you think, Giotto?" _

_Tsuna felt his body shake with laughter. Turning his back to them, he waited by the door as Giotto came to the decision to follow. The three men came out of their hiding spots warily, both G and Cozart carrying their injured sons. _

"_Who are you?" growled G menacingly, gun in hand. _

_Tsuna gulped but held his ground. He shook his head and took off running. He still had a lot of things to do._

"_W-Wait!" called his father. "G, great job scaring him…Come on!" _

_Tsuna ran, not bothering to stop. He was trusting his intuition to tell him which way to go. He could sense the other's presence and knew that was the way to go. After arriving in front of the training room, Tsuna came to a stop and looked around. He was expecting his Uncle Daemon, Alaude and Lampo to arrive any minute now. True enough, Tsuna heard the sound of approaching footsteps. _

_Taking this cue to leave, he smiled and waved his hand as a form of reassurance. Taking a few steps back, Tsuna turned around and prepared to flee. _

"_W-Wait! Who are you?" asked Giotto who was holding Natsu tightly. Tsuna merely shook his head and took off, disappearing into the dark corridors of the Milliefiore base. _

_Running around some more, Ryohei and Knuckle who were fleeing from Byakuran with Kyoya, Mukuro, Chrome, Lal Mirch and Lambo in tow came into his view. _

"_WE NEED TO HEAL THEM TO THE EXTREME, UNCLE KNUCKLE!" roared Ryohei in a serious tone. _

"_I KNOW MY DEAR NEPHEW! BUT WE CAN'T STOP NOW! IF WE GET CAUGHT IT'LL BE THE END! WE NEED TO FIND PRIMO!" roared Knuckle. _

_Tsuna felt his blood freeze at the sight of his siblings. Clenching his fist, he stood in front of the two approaching men. _

"_WHO GOES THERE?" came Knuckle's voice. He looked wary, his eyes flickering from Ryohei to Tsuna, sweat dripping down his head. _

_Without wasting time, Tsuna pointed to them and to himself. He then took off running, praying that the both of them would follow him. _

"_LET'S FOLLOW HIM, UNCLE! HE DOES NOT LOOK LIKE AN EXTREMELY SUSPICIOUS PERSON!" yelled Ryohei. Tsuna sighed. Ryohei had his facts mixed up. In a situation like this, he __**was **__a suspicious person. _

_At the moment though, Tsuna silently thanked Ryohei for his weird thinking. Running back to where he had left the others, Tsuna pointed down the corridor for both Ryohei and Knuckle to follow before taking off._

"_THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" came Knuckle's voice. _

_Tsuna smiled to himself before heading off to look for the rest. _

_After running some more, Tsuna heard a familiar voice. _

"_Which way as it again, Takeshi?" came Asari Ugetsu's voice. _

"_I have no idea, Dad! Ahahaha!" laughed Takeshi's voice as both father and son burst into laughter. Tsuna sighed for the thousandth time. Some things never changed. _

_Tsuna jumped in front of both father and son, startling the both of them. Asari pulled out his katana at the ready while Takeshi pulled out his kendo sword. Tsuna however merely shook his head and held up his hands. He then pointed to the direction he came from and took off running again, much to the surprise of both Rain guardians._

"_Are we playing catch?" called Takeshi excitedly. _

"_Is that so? Then let us be off!"laughed Asari as both of them returned their swords to their original places. _

_If it wasn't such a serious situation, Tsuna could have fainted on the spot. Even so, he managed to lead them to the rest of the team and then turned around and disappeared. _

_**A FEW WEEKS LATER**_

_Tsuna closed his eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze that surrounded him. Two days from now, his family was going to face the Milliefiore in a battle of Choice. Even though he had wanted to watch the game, he still had a lot to do. As the young heir enjoyed the breeze, a young boy appeared in front of him. He wore a frog hat and had a bored look on his face._

"_Ah it's just the young Vongola zombie. Help me," said Fran in his normal bored voice. _

"_It's nice to see you too, Fran," replied Tsuna with a sigh. Fran stuck a finger in his ear as he sat down on a nearby rock. _

"_What does the Vongola zombie want? Does he need Fran's services to make him human again?" _

"_I need you to find Aunt Elena. Byakuran is going to use her against the Vongola and you know how Uncle Daemon is when it comes to Aunt Elena…" said Tsuna with a shudder. The last time someone had tried to hit on his aunt, Daemon had gone on a rampage and Giotto had to pay for the damages. _

"_I understand, Vongola zombie. I'll go and get Uncle Pineapple Head's beloved wife. If I don't, I have a feeling he'll never let me hear the end of it," said Fran in a bored voice. Turning to Tsuna, he looked at him with his blank eyes. "In return, you have to do me a favor," said Fran. _

"_E-Eh?"_

"_I want to know how you became a zombie," said Fran before turning around and disappearing into the mist. _

"_Z-Zombie? What zombie?" yelped Tsuna, his face embarrassed. _

_**ONE DAY BEFORE CHOICE **_

"_It is time, young Vongola," said Talbot in a serious tone. Tsuna looked at him in confusion._

"_Time for what, Uncle Talbot?"_

"_Do you remember me telling you a long time ago about the Shimon rings?" _

_Tsuna nodded. Talbot had mentioned once that the Shimon rings had disappeared along with Uncle Cozart's ancestors. Byakuran, who was afraid of what the Shimons rings could do against the Tri-Ni-Sette was dead set in recovering and destroying the Shimon rings, a feat he had been unable to do. Talbot grinned._

"_As it turns out, I found them!" exclaimed the old man happily. Tsuna gasped. _

"_You did?" _

"_Absolutely! It turns out it was pretty close all this time!" said Talbot in a matter-of-factly tone. Looking at Tsuna, his gaze turned serious. "Now you have to go and retrieve them while Byakuran is distracted by the game of Choice tomorrow. This will be your only chance so make full use of it."_

_Tsuna nodded. It was now or never. The moment they were all waiting for: the discovery of the Shimon rings. Talbot patted him on the head and smiled at him, his face wrinkly. _

"_You did well, young Vongola. You're just like how Giotto and G used to be when they were your age. Now, I need to get going. Everyone's going to miss me if I'm gone for too long!" said Talbot before heading back the way he came. _

_Tsuna watched him go, his hand clenched into a fist. _

"So you were the one we met at the Melliefiore base!" exclaimed Asari, Giotto and Cozart at the same time.

"No wonder Natsu went crazy…" muttered Giotto as he looked at the said lion now who was snuggled comfortably in Tsuna's arms.

"And it was Tsuna who sent Fran to save me!" said Elena who was resting her head on Daemon's shoulders.

"It's too bad he wasn't a real zombie…" sighed Fran.

"Haha! So Tsuna was the one doing all kinds of stuff behind our backs!" laughed Takeshi who had latched an arm around Tsuna's shoulders, causing a vein to twitch in Hayato's head.

"Thank you, Tsuna-nii," said Chrome rather shyly, her face red with happiness.

"You have my thanks, Tsuna. For helping my sister," said Mukuro with a not so sinister smile.

"Ours as well," said Gamma, Nozaru and Tozaru as they bowed low.

"I-It's fine! You don't have to do that!" yelped Tsuna in alarm. "Besides, I'm sorry for all the pain I put you all through. It was the only course I could find," muttered Tsuna guiltily. "Please forgive me."

"What are you saying, Tsuna? It's not your fault!" cried Hayato.

"Yeah! Everything turned out well in the end!" said Takeshi happily.

"You did give all of us some grief though…" muttered G with a shake of his head.

"YES! EXTREMELY GOOD!" cried Ryohei. Kyoya merely patted his brother on his head.

"I'm just glad that Tsuna's back," sniffled Lambo emotionally.

"It was real mess, back then Tsuna. Everyone was at an emotionally state," laughed the Chiavarone boss happily.

"Boss, you cried the most…" whispered Romario, causing Dino to turn red.

"R-Romario! Don't tell them that!"

"Enma cried himself to bed a few times back when Tsuna first 'passed away'" said Adelheid with a matter of factly face. Enma turned red.

"I-I did not! I-I was j-just crying over a-a s-show!" replied the young teen in embarrassment.

"It's true. We all had to comfort him every night. He's an idiot after all," replied Koyo as he pushed his glasses into place.

"I remember everyone squeezing into bed together with Enma. It was fun," said Shitt P, her hands placed on her hips.

"G-Guys…" muttered Enma, his face red as a tomato.

"And Rauji had to give Enma a cookie for him to cheer up…" came Kaoru's quiet voice.

"Well, Tsuna is Enma's best friend!" laughed Cozart easily.

"N-Not you too, Papa…"

Giotto who had been silent all this time finally spoke up. "If you had told me at that time, I would have been totally against the idea. Even now, I still shudder at the thought," said Giotto, his eyes fixed on his son. His guardians nodded in agreement while Tsuna twiddled his thumbs. "As a father, I'd rather not experience that _ever _again," sighed the Vongola boss, his hair running over his hair in exasperation. "As the Vongola Primo however, I am proud of you, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Tch. That's what he says but this trash here was a useless piece of scum when we thought you had died. He was useless," said Xanxus rather bluntly, his gaze directed at Giotto who was starting to pout.

"I-It was a shocking moment. You would have felt the same!" said Giotto in defense. Xanxus yawned.

"Don't you kids ever dare put us through anything like that, understand?" growled G, his arms folded as he glared at everyone who looked away innocently.

"I'm still curious though. Why did Reborn turn back into his original form?" asked Takeshi innocently. His question however, was one that everyone was thinking.

Tsuna however shook his head and looked at Uni. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you the reason now. Please give me a little more time," said the Sky child with a bow. Everyone sighed but nodded anyways.

"By the way, what happened to the Shimon rings? Didn't you say you found them?" asked Lal Mirch who had been silent all this time.

"Ah! I had forgotten all about them!" cried Tsuna as he reached for his satchel and pulled out a box. It was old and chipped in a few places. Even so, the Shimon emblem was beautifully carved onto the cover. Everyone held their breath. The Shimon rings which had been lost for centuries was finally found.

"I'm sorry, Cozart. We still cannot return them to you at the moment," came Talbot's voice. Everyone looked at him.

"What? Why not?"

"It's because the Shimon rings are the answer to defeating Byakuran once and for all. I know everyone is happy that the young Vongola has returned but please do not forget that the fight against Byakuran is still going on. He will return for the Sky Arcobaleno and the Vongola rings. The fact that we have the Shimon rings does not mean we still cannot die. Besides, these Shimon rings have not been used for centuries. Since they were created by me, I have to tinker with them again," sighed Talbot. "Byakuran is going to return tomorrow which gives me limited time to fix them up."

Everyone was silent. Talbot was right. Taking the box, Talbot placed it in his bag and tipped his hat.

"I'll be back tomorrow once I am done with these. Basil, follow me. I'll need your help in case I get attacked along the way," called Talbot.

"Or course, Talbot sir!"

"Now everyone, don't be defeated so easily alright? Let this old man have a peace of mind!" chuckled Talbot before leaving the area with Basil.

"Did he just leave?" asked G, breaking the silence.

"Talbot-san has a point. Byakuran will return tomorrow and the final battle will take place in this forest," said Uni quietly. "I'm going to say something selfish but please protect me!" said Uni with a low bow.

"Of course, Uni! You have our help!" said Giotto with a comforting smile. His guardians did the same. "Besides, it's time for us to end Byakuran's reign, isn't it?" Turning to guardians, he looked at them seriously. "Our kids have played their part in this whole mess. It's about time we did the same."

"Here, here," said G with a smirk.

"Nufufu…I couldn't agree more," said Daemon with an evil smile.

"EXTREME FIGHTING!" roared Knuckle.

"…." said Alaude, his eyes filled with excitement.

"I really don't want to do this but I suppose I have to…" sighed Lampo miserably.

"It'll be fun!" laughed Asari.

"I suppose I have to do something as well hm?" said Cozart with a grin. "After all, we cannot have Tsuna's hard efforts go to waste!" laughed the Shimon head.

"For the princess, I will gladly lay down my life," vowed Gamma as he went down on one knee.

"VOIIIIII! DON'T FORGET WE'RE ADULTS TOO!" roared Squalo who did not want to be left out.

"Shishishi. I wouldn't call you an adult…" grinned Bel.

"Says the kid," said Fran.

"Shut up."

Tsuna smiled as his father ruffled his hair affectionately. There was going to be a massive battle tomorrow but for now, he was content with what he had.

**That's all for now. I'll write the next when I have time. I'm thinking about the fight scene and who's going to fight who which is giving me a massive headache. Time for me to research KHR again for their powers and abilities. Gosh, it has been such a long time. Once again, thank you for your support and your kind reviews! Please forgive me for any confusion or mistakes I have in my story! **** Until then, see you! **


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